Nana's Whimsies Moved!

This will be my final post on this site. Please visit nanaswhimsies at www.nanaswhimsies.com.

I wrote my first blog in 2008.

I had just retired and Bill and I were preparing to leave on a long-planned adventure where we would spend three-and-a-half months traveling around Europe. I was considering ways in which I could stay in contact with my family. I knew telephoning was difficult. Email was a possibility. Someone mentioned I should write a blog.

I had no idea what that meant. A bit of research opened me up to the then-relatively new world of blogging. I developed my first blog – The Reluctant Traveler. Each day for three plus months I shared our delightful, sometimes frightening, often funny experiences as we explored a world where we didn’t know how to ask for directions to the bathroom. Der badezimmer. Los Servicios. Cabinet de toilette. Il Bagno. The loo.

When we returned from our travels, many people asked if I was going to continue blogging since they had enjoyed reading what I wrote. I always said I would love to, but my everyday life was pretty quiet and uneventful. What would I say?

But I missed writing. I dabbled, but never dove right in.

Late last summer, my sister Jen suggested I start a blog. She convinced me that I didn’t need to be living the life of a movie star to blog, but only needed to be willing to share my family, my life, my feelings, and my time with others. I could write a blog about nothing. More specifically, I could write a blog about anything that was tickling my fancy. My whimsies.

I initially thought I would do a blog largely dedicated to cooking. I love to cook. I had sort of a vague notion that I would like to show others who fear cooking that there was really nothing to it. It didn’t take me long to realize that a cooking blog – at least a blog dedicated specifically to cooking – wasn’t really what I wanted to do. For one thing, I’m not a terribly good cook. I follow recipes. My siblings are much better cooks.

I went back to my notion of writing about whatever interested me, and decided I would gear my words to an audience of Baby Boomers -- people like me (though anyone is welcome!). That’s what I have been trying to do. It’s not always easy. Don’t get me wrong. For me, the writing is always easy. But as I said earlier, I live a simple, unspectacular life. Who cares about me? Many days the most exciting thing I do is sort laundry.

I mostly am excited about developing my blog and expanding my audience. But I have terrible moments of great anxiety and self-doubt. It didn’t help yesterday when I asked 3-year-old Austin, who at the moment was running in circles around his house, his thoughts. “Do you like my blog?” I asked him as he ran by in a blur. “No,” he said over his shoulder as he ran away from me. Maybe he’s just a tough audience since he can’t read.

“Do you like my blog?” I asked my sister Jen a little later.

She assured me she did. She said her favorite posts are the ones in which I share my soul. I’m never one to be reluctant about sharing my thoughts and fears and joys with others. It’s just that for me, like everyone else, most days just pass without my even thinking about my soul. I’m too busy worrying about the guacamole stain on my jeans.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that I am going all-in with nanaswhimsies.com, and I’m excited about it. Kind of scared, but mostly not. I want to entertain people. I want to share my soul. I want to teach. I want to let my family and friends know what we’re up to. I want to write.

So I will keep plugging along. Tell me how I’m doing. Give me suggestions. Share recipes and family stories. Send pictures. Stay in touch.