Getting back to ME

After a serious of awkward conversations this past weekend, it came to my attention recently that this blog may have lost some of it's original focus.  I started this blog for myself, for me and to be about me.  But as I started getting into the blogging groove, I started sharing more, and started including others in my stories and pictures.  I forgot to consider that not everyone is as willing to put themselves out there as I am.  And so I need to take a step back....

You may recall this post from back in December, where I talked about how I struggle with my desire to be extremely honest and yet not overly offend or upset those around me.  It will be a constant struggle, I am sure, but it's good to go back to that every now and then to remind myself that this is about me, and no one else.

It makes me a little sad to realize that I need to be much more thoughtful in how I censor what I write, and in most instances it will mean omitting a great story, or a fun picture, or something else that I really wish I could have included.  I've even considered just quitting the blogging thing altogether, but I'm not sure that I could stay away for very long.  And then I thought about perhaps starting a completely new blog that I just kept totally personal, but I remembered that while I do write this for myself, if I knew that no one else was reading it, I'd quickly lose motivation.

Knowing that there are people out there who read this blog keep me motivated to continue writing in more ways that you can imagine.  Through this blog I've met some amazing new people, reconnected with others from my past, and have developed a way to continue to be connected with people currently in my life.  My network of "internet friends" continues to grow, and I absolutely love it!  A lot of people still can't imagine developing friendships online with people that you've never even met before, but in many ways, the lack of judgment and preconceived notions is freeing.  Sometimes - like now - I wish I could go back in time and target my blog to a more anonymous audience, instead of the family and friends that now make up the majority of my readership. 

But I can't, and I recognize.  So I recover from my one step backwards and prepare to move forward once again...

All of this is to say that you're going to be seeing a lot more (and hearing a lot more) of ME.  If you don't like reading about me, then.... well, you're going to be disappointed.  But I think in general this is going to be a move in the right direction, allowing me to focus on more thoughtful topics instead of the "what I did last weekend" sort of posts. (Don't worry, those aren't going away altogether, they'll just be framed differently.)

So, in many ways, this will be the "new" New Hartman blog - slightly modified and more personalized.  I hope you like it!

P.S.  From now on, my "dear husband" will be referred to as - somewhat appropriately - DH.