Somewhere in Middle America

life is like riding a bicycle

leak

Hello, remember me?

It feels like forever since I’ve been here. For the past two weeks ago, I’ve been feeling out of sorts, out of sync with myself. I attribute this to putting my hand through a window pane and hosting an out-of-state family member, among other things.

Because of the stitches in my thumb I wasn’t able to lift weights with my trainer, so I’ve missed four gym sessions so far. Of course, I could have gone to the gym to do just cardio, for which you don’t need your hands, but I didn’t. It never seems worth it to get myself to the gym for just 30 minutes of elliptical-ing.

When my workout schedule is irregular, I find that my emotional state is a bit irregular, too. Does that happen to you? Yoga often helps me find that missing balance, but, again, I couldn’t practice because of my hand.

Then, shortly after my injury, my mother-in-law came to visit for five days. I didn’t get much “me” time during those days, as we were busy eating, drinking, shopping and socializing. There never seemed to be a good moment to excuse myself to my office to blog, especially because we see my husband’s mom so infrequently, and I really wanted to make the most out of her visit. Not that I’m complaining! We had tons of fun, but you know what happens when you have company… your daily routine gets completely thrown out of whack.

By the time my MIL left, I had been out of my exercising and blogging (and working!) routine for long enough that it’s been hard to get myself back on track. It’s like I’ve forgotten how to live my life. But life is like riding a bicycle. First, you never really forget how to live. (Duh!) Second, like Albert Einstein said, to keep your balance you must to keep moving. And that sums up my problem right there: I stopped moving.

How do you get back to “normal” after set backs and distractions? How do you start moving again after being physically or emotionally sedentary for an extended period of time?

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my love/hate relationship with blogging

Spider Web

I have big dreams for my little blog.

Once I determine what the primary focus of Somewhere in Middle America should be (because right now it just seems a little bit all over the place), I hope to attract more readers. Once the readers come, I hope the advertisers will follow. And once I have advertisers, I hope to be taken seriously enough to guest post on other people’s blogs or to be asked to become a contributing editor on bigger and better sites. Ultimately, I hope to write for a variety of online and print publications; I want to be a freelance writer.

But I’m beginning to feel like the blog world is actually pretty small — incestuous, really — especially among design/lifestyle blogs, and if you don’t have an “in” with one of the big blogs on the block, well, good luck to you.

The other day Babble shared its list of the 50 Best Design Blogs for Moms, and, sure enough, the blogs of several of Babble’s contributing editors made the list. Now I understand that if Babble thought these women were talented enough to write for Babble’s parenting and family blogs (and I’m not denying that they are definitely talented women), then Babble must have been a fan of their original design blogs. However, I have a hard time digesting the thought that there are such a limited amount of great blogs out there that Babble had to reach within itself to find the best of the best.

Please don’t read this as an angry, jealous post or one specifically targeted at Babble. I’m just trying to illuminate the fact that there is this web-like pattern of inter-connectivity between blogs — or at least among the blogs I follow. And truthfully, as someone trying to break into the “big leagues,” I find it a little bit discouraging.

Or maybe I’m just burnt out. I imagine what it would be like to just unplug completely, to not look for potential blog posts in everything I do or to reclaim the hours I spend each day engaging in social media. What would I do with all my free time? Read books. Knit scarves and hats and baby blankets. Cook dinner more often. Clean the house more frequently. Go to more yoga classes. Spend more time practicing my photography.

But then I wouldn’t have an outlet for my writing, and what I love most of all is to write. And if I want to be a frequent guest blogger or contributing editor for other blogs, I’ve gotta learn to love the incestuous world of blogging because, deep down, I want to be a part of it.

Le sigh.

(image source)

ead living update

In case you haven’t been keeping up with my blogging on Elizabeth Anne Designs Living, here’s a link to my lastest post: What Will Cupid Bring This Year? Chime in and let me know what you anticipate receiving for Valentine’s Day.

blogging at ead living

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged, so I thought I’d break the silence with an exciting piece of news: I am officially a contributor to Elizabeth Anne Designs Living. EAD Living is a spin-off of the wildly popular wedding blog, Elizabeth Anne Designs, and focuses on the newlywed life, including travel, food, crafts and culture. I’ll be writing along side 18 other talented and creative ladies who are full of wonderful stories, tips and ideas. I hope that you’ll pop by EAD Living every so often to catch up with me–and don’t forget to leave your comments there, too!

(image via EAD)

hey you lurkers!

I know that there are many of you who read my blog and never comment. That’s cool. But I’d love to get to know more of my readers, so I’m inviting you to introduce yourself in the comments section below. Let me know who you are, where you are and what you like to do. Who knows? We could become great friends!

(image source)

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