Becoming + settling

There was a season in my life (think adolescence) when anything my dad said to me would have been inclined to go in one ear and out the other, but now? When my dad takes the time to advise and counsel me, to speak about the talents he sees in me, I consider it a treasure. While I was visiting my parents in Georgia, my dad took some time to talk to me about this space. How he loves what I write, but thinks I have more to say.

This space has changed a lot since I first started documenting last year. I write with more focus but less detail, more the lesson and less the experience, per se. And while I would argue that the things I write about carry a lot of weight, they're sort of (somehow, also) superfluous. It means something, but there's not much to it. I think my writing speaks for itself, which is good, but that means there's rarely room for a broader conversation.

A few weeks ago, after a day that left me feeling lost, Stephen reminded me that one of the hardest things in life is becoming who you were meant to be. Some people never get there, but I want to. I thought about the upcoming months of my life, and what I want to make of them. I thought about my online presence, and how I want it to speak to people. How I want to speak clearly and with integrity, but I also want to be welcoming and compassionate, and I don't want to measure my worth by means of likes and pageviews. And how do I combine all of these things?

I don't think I'll ever fall into the category of "lifestyle blogger," as much as I enjoy reading them, but I'd like to do more than review books and talk about my weekends. I'm not sure where I'm going with all of this, or what I'll be writing about in the near future. Of course, I want this blog to have a cohesive feel, but I know that change can be incredibly good, if we're open to it.