A Decade Later!

Yesterday was the day when the first blogpost came alive on this blog, a decade ago. The day when this blog became the window of a world I had not known before. It opened up new avenues, birthed new friendships, and built new communities. It was my representative in the literary world where I felt like just a little kid among the great veteran bloggers.

The adrenaline rush made me jump through the challenges, attempt the writing prompts, capture fiction in five sentences, learn haiku, compete in AtoZ and whatnot! Then came the bloggers’ meets, collaborative events and meeting online friends in person! The ride of ten years surely started with adventures I had never thought possible. There were mistakes made, lessons learnt, and awards won and just like that, this blog became an extension of me. Oh! How I used to love that feeling, the feeling of being known by your blog!

When peers my age were running to parties after office, I was snuggling with words to churn out blog posts, writing about my experiences in the new city, and the new life. This blog became my comfort corner when all my friends were busy balancing their own life. I won’t deny that this blog did play the role of cupid as well when the time arrived!

And when the need arose for a sacrifice, it was the first one in line for sure. Stayed quiet in the corner, watching me make my way through life when too much was happening but too little was left to share with the world. It wordlessly stayed unperturbed by the lack of my attention, knowing that I will return one day.

The days of the return came again and again but the promise of revival lasted only a few posts. It was as if upon returning the blogosphere had changed, the friends were gone, and prompts were lost. Everyone else seemed to be struggling with words because the world has moved on to the faster mediums of content. Why write when no one wants to read? Seemed to be the thought that everyone’s blog mirrored.

But this time I was resolute. It was not for the readers this blog was born. It was my corner and I will keep it alive. The guests are always welcome for a cup of coffee and a funny anecdote or a twisted tale or some rhyming words. The words will find their readers I believed. And so it happened. After being part of different blogging communities all along, I joined another one and started to build new bonds. Catching up with prompts during lunch breaks at the office or zoning out in the fictional world while commuting or crafting plots while waiting for the next whistle of the pressure cooker, the words started to come back, one at a time!

So, on the tenth anniversary of this blog, I don’t want to make any promises that I won’t be able to keep. I know priorities change with time, and it happened to me too. But I will make sure not to let it slip into the darkness again, to be there for it like it has been there for me all these years. To fill it with words of new hope, new stories, new adventures, new experiences, new friendships and new lessons of course.

Cheers to a decade of companionship with Blogging! You have been wonderful!