YOUR CONVERSATIONALIST

WordPress is an odd platform. I have no idea how to change the look of this blog without messing something up, so I hope you all enjoy the cityscape image stock photo that has nothing to do with Memphis. Maybe I will have the patience to tackle this battle sometime.

You know how we are all obsessed with using the new year to do a life overhaul? I am no exception. At best, I am decent at it. I have accomplished a few changes.

For example, I asked for Green Pan for Christmas to replace my cookware with non-toxic cookware. I have switched to organic coffee and wine (when I can). I use my own coffee cup instead of using disposable ones. I prioritize taking baths while contemplating the mysteries of the universe. Lots of water. Intermittent Fasting. More herbs and spices. Reading more books (audio). And so on. And so forth.

While habit overhauls are great, I challenged myself not to be critical of myself and others when it comes to wishing I was different in fundamental aspects. I am who I am, so instead of say I am going to be less politically argumentative or I am not going to be a wasteful spender anymore, I frame resolutions as actionable things and not personal attacks on myself.

Think of it this way – if the thing I want to tweet does not serve to provoke thoughtful conversation about politics or illuminate an issue, what is the value-add of the tweet? I have even gone a step further. A friend of a friend recommended a book that may help inform some of my biases against white small-town America, so I am reading that book to invite additional compassion into an area I formerly had decided deserved none.

Basically, I am making simple swaps and embarking on intellectual journeys to challenge myself to grow and avoid stagnation.

Recently, I reflected on the past decade like one tends to do at the conclusion of a ten-year span. One thing that certainly stood out is that I spent 9/10 of those years blogging.

First I wanted to be a fashion blogger, whatever that meant to me in 2011. If I recall, I more wanted to write about fashion and share my own finds about which I was most enthusiastic. The platform was Blogger. There was not to a ton of saturation in the blogging world, but I quickly learned the game was in the numbers – followers, views, etc., which tends to have the net effect of stifling creativity for me.

Exclusively Chic (okay, that makes me cringe now) turned into Chic Memphis. For a time, I added Capturing Diabetes to help myself navigate my new diagnosis. I took a break, then started The Petersonian to shift to more of a general lifestyle blog to talk about pregnancy and whatever else I wanted.

W H A T E V E R E L S E I W A N T E D always felt like something I needed permission to do. Who the hell do I think I am writing about whatever I want? What’s your brand? What’s your theme? Blah Blah Blah. Essentially, my brand is that I am almost 33, and I love to write. That’s it. That’s the whole angle.

Hi. Hello. Happy to be Here.