Hearing Voices

May, 2006 to April, 2015

I was hoping I might have something new and amazing to show you, as this marks my 800th blog post and it would be nice to have some pretty decorations to add to the festivities. But alas, I am in that dull between-projects phase, so will have to make do with a selection from the archives.

But I do have a story to share with you....

Yesterday, as I was walking through the Village parking lot, I heard a young female voice utter the remarkable question, "What happened to my life?" The words just floated into my ears, and I looked around, but no one could be seen. That was it - there was no reply, no other voices to be heard. The question was asked without a tone of frustration, or anger, or sadness. The inflection, if I had to say there was one, might have fallen on the word "life", but overall the voice was soft and gentle, the intent ambiguous.

My first thought was "Good question!", followed by the impulse to emblazon "What happened to my life?" on a giant neon billboard that would loom over the Village, sort of a all-encompassing thought bubble that would represent the inner dialogues of so many island residents. (Gabriola has a distinctly senior demographic.) Not that I think too many people would complain about their lives - retirement on Gabriola is about as close to paradise as most people could ever hope for. It's more of a rueful observation about how quickly our lives flit past.

This blog has been going since May, 2006. I started it because I knew a couple of other people who blogged, and the form had an appeal for me as I could put words and pictures together. At the time I lived in Vancouver and was more involved in community events, and I thought the blog would be a useful way to document what I was doing. Over the years it has brought me many unexpected rewards, particularly in the form of connections with people all over the world, who are interested in many of the same things I am. True Stitches has actually been a pretty comprehensive account of what has happened to my life, at least for the last nine years.

The blog and I have been happy together, for the most part. There have been lots of ups and downs, at least one husband, several boyfriends, five dogs and a cat, way too many houses and several changes of creative direction. Looking back, it hasn't just been one life, but many. No wonder I am starting to hear disembodied voices!

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The world has changed in the meantime, as worlds do. There are so many other platforms to share on these days, but I am fine with good ol' Blogger. I do wonder though, how many new blogs are being started up, especially ones that are not intended as promotional tools for commerce. When I think back to the blogs I read back when I started, many of the writers I followed have either disappeared, or gone on to write books and star in Craftsy videos. Where are the interesting newbies, the next generation, as it were?

I'd love it if you shared a favourite new blog or two in the Comments section. Or your thoughts on the continued relevance (or not) of blogging. Maybe there are other forms of communication you prefer? I'd love to hear from you. And thanks, everyone, for checking in on True Stitches, over the years. You make it all worthwhile.