The Apples in My Orchard

Today is Tuesday, and time for a Slice of Life post. The Slice of  Challenge is what started me blogging this past year. Since February 23, 2017, I have posted a blog to The Apples in My Orchard 268 times!  Almost daily, I have posted my thoughts to share with others.  At a quick glance over my WordPress analytics, I have missed just 41 days of posting in nine months! One of these periods was a nine-day trip to Bermuda and another was a five-day period in which I was recovering from some major surgery. Ten times this year have I posted to my blog more than once during a 24 hour period.  Basically, I feel like I have written almost every day since February 23rd!

You know, I am really proud of my effort! I definitely found a voice and feel connected to several communities of bloggers. Once a week, on Tuesdays, like today, I post to the Slice of Life community and share a reflection on my life. One can count on (usually) receiving some great feedback and/or comments after posting to this community of educators, parents, and writers.  Leaving feedback for others is part of the Slice of Life community and I believe part of what makes it special. I try hard to leave feedback to other blog writers on their posts. Connecting with others is a large part of why I write and, I assume, why others write as well.  It has been a welcoming and sustaining community of writers. I plan to participate this coming March in the Slice of Life again. Thank you for offering these writing opportunities and this community of writer’s that was established by TwoWritingTeachers.org. 

My blog offers Silent Sunday posts that are photographic only. One of my other hobbies is photography, of mostly nature and travel. These have turned out to be some of my most popular posts and have connected me to other photographers.  There is such wonderful feedback to be had from this community as well that I started to participate in the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge, usually posted mid-week. Many of the Slice of Life Community members are writing on Tuesdays only (with the exception of March), so my two major blogging communities do not seem to mix. This is somewhat unfortunate in my opinion.

My blog posts are often long. I know this. I have tried to rein it in, based on reading some blogging tips. However, I have always been verbose and usually, it is because I am offering many examples of what I am writing about or the point I am trying to make. I try not to state an opinion unless I have examples of why I feel the way I do. I am a reflective writer and write from experience. So, the length of my blog pieces might turn some readers away, and I do understand that they might be after a shorter piece or even something lighter, on any given day.

I know I have touched a nerve on some topics. The original intent of my blog was to write about student enrichment and specifically, the world of gifted education, including this subset of students’ educational needs, and community and/or national response to those needs from both a parenting and educator’s perspective.  I have found this to be a difficult and divisive topic upon which to write. And, although I do still intend it to be the main thrust of my blogging, it is emotionally draining to beat this drum constantly. I have also been called into question about some of the things I have written despite these being fully disclosed as my own experience and opinion. Although this shook me at first, I realized that sharing my experiences in the field of gifted education is an important way for me to continue some informal advocacy. It also made me realize that there are some individuals that do not appreciate my views or the fact that I have chosen to share them publicly, through the blog. It was hard to realize that my writing might inflict pain or anger on some, but I am mature enough to know one cannot please everyone. If one needs humor or sarcasm or levity, there are other blogs in which those can be found; mine is not such a blog.

Blogging has been a great experience for me in 2017. It has allowed me to express some feelings and perspectives that ordinarily, I would have kept bottled up inside.  I hope to continue my blogging well into the future. I hope you join me on that journey and would love to hear from you as a follower or through your comments.  Thank you!