Queen Mimi of Bloggingham 1732

No epistle tonight. Just random thoughts. Isn't that what I do? 

They always end up as an epistle. 

 I miss my blog. And all of you. My life has been topsy turvy crazy!  Every time I start to write a blog post something (or someone) vies for my attention. After all these years this blog should write itself. Is there an app for that? Let's see...

My sister and I have become interested in genealogy. She thinks she knows evvvvverything about our family. Ha! I gave her a little quiz.

 Do you know about the Queen in our family?

What Queen?
That's for me to know and you to find out. 

 How quickly we begin to sound like 5-year-olds.

I am a Queen, Homer. You're just jealous. Hush.

And don't you DARE talk to my little sister if you know what's good for you!

What else have I done? I've taken a host of willy nilly pictures in the woods, camera happy and sassy. Battled the workplace blues. Again.  Fought a virus and some residual rainy-day-panic-in-the-car-flashbacks (will it ever end?) as well as finally concluding to take up the fight in one very personal battle and let another one go. Men men crazy men. Don't tell my mother but I did some things I really can't blog about.
First thing I know WHAM! I'm smack dab in the middle of an unexpected

 Experiment

A friend told me, "You can't fake it on your blog. You have a lot on your plate. Unless you want to open up a can of nasty worms right now you'd better not blog."  He was right. I was knee deep in the middle of a monumental tiny disaster. So I decided to surrender to "real life" for awhile and not blog when I was upset or pushed to the limit and exhausted (you should try it sometime) even if the blank blog page screamed WRITE ME WRITE ME WRITE ME. 
It was hard! So, I stewed. And thought. And mumbled. And worried. Smacked a few people (in my mind). Prayed. And cursed a lot. 
Just not on the page.

I didn't even Meme!

Then all kinds of opportunities presented themselves!
Should I get the extra four hours sleep I realllllly need or stay awake and write a blog post that less and less people are commenting on? Does it matter to anyone?  Should I talk to my sister on  the phone, my friend from Canada, give Baby Boy a goodnight call, lovingly argue with my mother...or write a blog post? Hmmm.  I would like to soak in the tub tonight. I shall not write a soggy blog post. I want to research the new 1940 census! And yet I must write a blog post.  I don't feel like being funny or philosophical or wordy (I actually said that??!) or pencil-skirty. I just want to talk to my friends on Facebook and tweet the Peace.
The world will not stop because I forget to publish a blog post.  Eureka.

What is more important in the span of limited time I have each day? I discovered that sometimes it IS a blog post - writers need to write - and sometimes it is the argument that leads to the sister call that leads back to my mother and round and round we go.

The truth is that it's all important. And all worthwhile. But I needed for awhile to focus on me as I am going through some pretty difficult challenges and changes this spring. It's been good in a mind-bending way to realize that I can survive blog withdrawals! Being off-blog has caused me to take better care of myself (sorely needed!) which in turn has nurtured my relationships. Something had to give. It was good to give to the Bank of Mimi when I needed to. 
All bloggers need to do that from time to time.

I found it, Little Sister! I told you we have royal blood!

Thank you for visiting me even when I didn't show up and reading an empty blog.  I see ya, ya know. Have you ever wondered these things about your online life? Would I miss it? Could I reshape it? Can I blog without obligation or deadline? Will I listen to the muse more often instead of blogging just to have something on the page? Would it matter if I only wrote for myself? Isn't that what I started doing so long ago in that diary with a key?  Can I walk away from it? Would you still be here if I did? 

I figured out that I do want you to be here. You matter to me. Even if we've never met. You've become a part of my  life.  My real life.

P.S. Thanks for watering the plants and and taking care of Homer. 

Homer!