Dear Helen, this post invited me, incited me to open to my readers in a kindred vein of honesty. I credit you with the inspiration. Thank you, again, A.T.
It is lovely to look back like this over the last few years. Thank you for this essay - I did get going again on my fiction series and I kept one Blog ticking over last year - I don't push it as there isn't anything to buy atm - and it just makes more pressure - my goal was to actually post regularly and I have done.
The last few weeks I have had a series of either accidents ( broke my nose) or things on the farm happening ( hay making) and I went down with a spiteful head cold and didn't want to write fiction so I sat and looked again at the role I'd had for my websites and at Sub Stack again. I think I probably found you via Sarra Cannon about the end of 2023 when I was trying to get back to the fiction series following my Mum's being taken into residential care from here with Dementia that had changed my life and health as collateral damage to that which it all wrought on hers. I have admired your honesty and enjoyed your essays but not used either medium or SubStack other than as a reader.
Over the last year I have realised my FB pages are silent and the one Blog - though I have posted - isn't quite the 'chattiness' or 'random good conversation' I used to have on the socials - add in an old writing group coming to the end of it's days and I have been sinking into isolation and 'what's the point?' again - even in the face of regular progress and good attitude to the series rewrite; so while my head was full of cold I re read a lot of your essays and took the leap here and just started posting notes. :)
LOL as always the view from 'having done something' is different: I immediately felt over whelm and unprepared and had masses of questions that I thought I should have known answers to before I started :) ! So I came down hard on myself - I managed to get out from under the avalanche of hard words I aimed at soul and on Monday I contacted the guy who helps me with a few web site tweaks and he has re hosted the closed Blogs so I don't have to go back and start again with that - having a cold probably helped fend off the dislike I have for tinkering with web sites and the 'making notes' on Sub Stack took the edge off the left ' brainness' of it - are the blogs perfect? No, but I recognise the settings etc and have a list to work down of bits and bobs to update and change for a fresher feel as I go. I feel it is a big step to more regrouping with what I was enjoying doing 'purposefully' - and I think now I have wobbled into making a few notes on Sub Stack - I haven't set up the Newsletter or much else yet - I just leapt in with what I could do which is just a picture and a few words about the day or a funny anecdote - I feel I made that step into 'Hi I'm new...' again which is in it's self refreshing.
I turned 60 last Christmas and that was a bit of a moment somehow in my head LOL - and now I find myself 60 and a half and still doing 'daft' things and new things as best I can - accepting that learning takes time and 'doing it' is the only way and it is just as bumpy as it ever was :)
Thank you for sticking with what you do - I may not have posted much here in support this last year but I am hugely impressed at your achievements. Thanks again Best Wishes Marie-Claire
Happy anniversary!!! 🎂 It’s been a joy and an inspiration to watch this newsletter grow. I love witnessing the shifts and am wowed by the consistency always. Whatever else is going on, you show up 🙌🏻 All your success here is truly deserved, Helen ❤️
Thank you Helen, this came at the very best time to hear these encouraging confirming words. From my appreciative heart to your generous and bold heart, A.T.
I always love it when someone says my words have landed at just the right time. We all go through such similar situations but we always believe it’s only ourselves. Keep going x
Dear Helen, this post invited me, incited me to open to my readers in a kindred vein of honesty. I credit you with the inspiration. Thank you, again, A.T.
Oh Helen, this is glorious! Congratulations!
You're the one who introduced me to Substack, and that's when I started writing. You're awesome. xxx
It is lovely to look back like this over the last few years. Thank you for this essay - I did get going again on my fiction series and I kept one Blog ticking over last year - I don't push it as there isn't anything to buy atm - and it just makes more pressure - my goal was to actually post regularly and I have done.
The last few weeks I have had a series of either accidents ( broke my nose) or things on the farm happening ( hay making) and I went down with a spiteful head cold and didn't want to write fiction so I sat and looked again at the role I'd had for my websites and at Sub Stack again. I think I probably found you via Sarra Cannon about the end of 2023 when I was trying to get back to the fiction series following my Mum's being taken into residential care from here with Dementia that had changed my life and health as collateral damage to that which it all wrought on hers. I have admired your honesty and enjoyed your essays but not used either medium or SubStack other than as a reader.
Over the last year I have realised my FB pages are silent and the one Blog - though I have posted - isn't quite the 'chattiness' or 'random good conversation' I used to have on the socials - add in an old writing group coming to the end of it's days and I have been sinking into isolation and 'what's the point?' again - even in the face of regular progress and good attitude to the series rewrite; so while my head was full of cold I re read a lot of your essays and took the leap here and just started posting notes. :)
LOL as always the view from 'having done something' is different: I immediately felt over whelm and unprepared and had masses of questions that I thought I should have known answers to before I started :) ! So I came down hard on myself - I managed to get out from under the avalanche of hard words I aimed at soul and on Monday I contacted the guy who helps me with a few web site tweaks and he has re hosted the closed Blogs so I don't have to go back and start again with that - having a cold probably helped fend off the dislike I have for tinkering with web sites and the 'making notes' on Sub Stack took the edge off the left ' brainness' of it - are the blogs perfect? No, but I recognise the settings etc and have a list to work down of bits and bobs to update and change for a fresher feel as I go. I feel it is a big step to more regrouping with what I was enjoying doing 'purposefully' - and I think now I have wobbled into making a few notes on Sub Stack - I haven't set up the Newsletter or much else yet - I just leapt in with what I could do which is just a picture and a few words about the day or a funny anecdote - I feel I made that step into 'Hi I'm new...' again which is in it's self refreshing.
I turned 60 last Christmas and that was a bit of a moment somehow in my head LOL - and now I find myself 60 and a half and still doing 'daft' things and new things as best I can - accepting that learning takes time and 'doing it' is the only way and it is just as bumpy as it ever was :)
Thank you for sticking with what you do - I may not have posted much here in support this last year but I am hugely impressed at your achievements. Thanks again Best Wishes Marie-Claire
Congrats, Helen! Keep being your authentic self and we’ll definitely keep reading!
Thank you so much, Eric!
Congratulations, Helen. You are such an inspiration and I've enjoyed reading your posts. Thank you.
Thank you Debs ❤️
Happy anniversary!!! 🎂 It’s been a joy and an inspiration to watch this newsletter grow. I love witnessing the shifts and am wowed by the consistency always. Whatever else is going on, you show up 🙌🏻 All your success here is truly deserved, Helen ❤️
Thank you for your constant support ❤️❤️🤠
Anything for the cowboy! 😂❤️
Thank you Helen, this came at the very best time to hear these encouraging confirming words. From my appreciative heart to your generous and bold heart, A.T.
I always love it when someone says my words have landed at just the right time. We all go through such similar situations but we always believe it’s only ourselves. Keep going x