1 year blogiversary

Happy blogiversary dear readers!

I started this blog one year ago today. I've had blogs in the past but always felt like I was still keeping myself hidden... not giving my whole truth. When I had the idea for this blog last year, I realized that I had so much to say that couldn't be summarized into a tweet or a post. I wanted people to see the real me and to maybe even learn something from my experiences.

When I started this, I wasn't really sure what it would turn into. I didn't know if it would simply be talking about things happening in my life or if it would lead somewhere a little more personal. I think my early posts reflect that. However, the more I wrote, the more I realized I had something to say. With everything I've been through in my life, I have so much to draw on. I always seem to be able to make a connection from one thing to the next while tying it all together in a cohesive way.

I think the biggest takeaway from this last year of writing is that I am always 100% my most authentic self. So often people hide behind a certain persona because they're either scared of what might happen if they don't or they're simply not comfortable being themselves... or maybe they find comfort in the hiding. I hid for a really long time and did it for many reasons. I was never totally sure of who I was and I was worried that showing an ounce of who I wanted to be would lead me to lose what little I had. It wasn't until the last couple of years that I finally came into my own... and even then there's been new discoveries about myself every day. This blog has, in a way, been a place for me to dive into those parts of myself that I haven't seen in a while or maybe have never visited at all.

At the same time, I feel as though I'm opening people's eyes. Sure, I don't have very many people who regularly read this, but I write honestly about the things I'm feeling and what I've been through. I write from a place of authenticity. What does simply being honest even do? Well, I feel as though it helps people to see who I really am as opposed to me being some version that they've created in their heads. This is me, the real me. Accept no substitutions.

Writing has always been an outlet for me. It's weird to think back on all the times that writing as really helped me over the years, but it's always been there even when other coping mechanisms have come and gone. In a way, I think having this blog (which then truly led to the book) was inevitable. It's nice when people read the things I write and relate to them in some way, but either way it's always there for me to return to when I need it.

To my readers, thank you for sticking around (even after the blog changed links several times). If my experiences have helped you to figure out your own shit, then this blog has served its purpose. But don't worry, I've still got plenty more to write about so I won't be going away anytime soon <3

- DB