2 YEAR BLOGGING ANNIVERSARY!

WE DID IT! WE DID IT!

The fact that two years have gone by in a flash like this baffles me so much. On this day two years ago, I put my first blog post up and it’s insane to think that it was last September I put up the ‘1 Year Blogging Anniversary’ post.
I can vividly remember writing that post with so much excitement for what was to come. I had just returned from the biggest trip of my life (New York City – Vermont – Canada) and couldn’t wait to grow the blog and write more vulnerable and real posts for you guys. We were on the verge of a new decade and I was on the verge of adulthood with large expectations and dreams to take over the world.

We all know how that turned out, don’t we?

This year has been hard. I haven’t been sugar-coating it up until this point as most of you who have been following my journey will already know, so in the spirit of keeping thing consistent, I’ll be keeping it real once more. But this year has been hard for everyone I suppose, and in that reality, we connect too.
I felt lost, anxious, tired, frustrated, confused, lonely and alone. Since the pandemic began, even since the year began it instantly felt like survival of the fittest sometimes and just because we keep surviving doesn’t mean we didn’t use up a lot of energy to do so.

Life taught us some of the hardest yet most valuable lessons in a matter of months and we had no choice to embrace them and grow with them in mind. We saw the darkness of the world and the brutality in it, and we fought back, protested, and raised our voices louder than the hate they gave. It’s been a hard year to wrap my thoughts and feelings around, but slowly and surely, I’m getting there.

I’m beginning to find peace, gratitude and beauty in the little things once more.

I guess this 2^nd year anniversary is a little different, mainly because I cannot imagine getting through this year without this blog. Writing out my feelings was something that brought me immense comfort which was not only needed, but also intensely warm. Every time, I wrote a new post about life in isolation, fear of failure, or downright hard times, it felt like I was arriving at a safe place where my feelings felt valid and welcome. Writing every phase down definitely made me feel understood as a lot of you could relate wholeheartedly to my emotions, and while they weren’t always positive, I hope they always made you feel seen and less alone.

Of course, there were times when I wondered if I was oversharing and giving away too much, or whether sharing the negative raw emotions could do more of a disservice to my readers as it could’ve made things feel even realer than they had to. However, your constant support and comments always made everything a lot better, but they also reassured me that it is important to normalise conversations about our hard days as well as the good ones.

Last week, I embarked on a 7-day blogging challenge in celebration of our two years together and let me just say, it was a ride! I got to tell you about the things I wish in knew in the beginning and I got to look back on the blog posts I’ve released so far. We also got to interact when I answered your questions on my motivation to blog, how I maintain consistency, writer’s block and much more.

This time last year I wrote this:

“So, what does the future hold for this restless romantic roamer, you may be wondering? I frankly have no clue, but I can only say what I wish could happen. Obviously, I intend to continue writing super unfiltered posts for you guys which I hope inspire conversation and deep thought. I strongly hope to be able to produce so much more content than I did in this past year and to dip my feet a little deeper into the blogging industry. Hopefully, more hard work will result in more growth!”

I’m very happy to report that I feel the exact same way now, and I’ve produced a whole lot of content online within that time – also really relieved I did not make any concrete predictions for the future or that would have been a real big ouch! If this year has thought us anything, it is that literally anything is possible, but with that knowledge comes strength. We get stronger every time we push further, and that is a beautiful thing.

Lastly, I just want to say thank YOU to every one of YOU. If no one bothered to read the words I sew together, I might as well just write in my journal and lock it away in a box under my bed. But, I keep spilling my heart on this public platform, and for some reason YOU keep coming back for more. YOU are the reason why editing pictures in the middle of the night feels worth it and coming up with new ideas never feel like time wasted. THANK YOU.

Here’s to another year together; the road might be bumpy, and we might get hurt along the way, but we’ll get there – undefeated and stronger than before!

Your restless romantic roamer