It’s hard for me to believe, but on this same weekend last year, I wrote to Dr. Jack, telling him that I was thinking of writing a blog. It was a conversation that started about writing a book. I told him, “What do I know about writing a book? But what do you think about starting a blog?,”. He wrote me back, excited to tell me that was a great idea and he was forwarding me to his business partner Kathy Leckey. I had not had any contact with her at that time, but we hit it off immediately. She was so kind about my total lack of any idea how I could even do this.
She helped me to learn all about domain names, WordPress, setting up a blog, finding a host, and understanding a multitude of vocabulary I had never used nor understood. I was like an deer in headlights. I was scared to death, lol….. what was I getting into?
It took a little time to get a few pages going, and then make the big brave step! “Tell me when you are ready to go public with this,” Dr Jack told me. I jus kept thinking that I hoped I this was a good thing.
Kathy has been so patient, supportive and always encouraging. I have constantly complained to her that my blog looks amateurish, juevenile, a fact I blame on being a teacher. Lol… we like cutsy. If I could design it myself it would have crayon drawings but I have refrained. Bet you are glad! Lol. I envy those who have these professional looking results. But she has encouraged me to just keep it, well…. me.
Dr. Jack has supported my idea from the first time I asked him what he thought. I still have his email, “This is a great idea!” He has always encouraged me to heal in all ways, not just in body. Lasting change for me had to come in a big box filled with body, mind and soul. I know that he sees the therapeutic effect it has had on me. In talking about all things, the easy, the traumatic, the day to day, the silly, the complicated, all things, you change inside. When you open yourself up that way, however, you are open to more criticism, which makes you tougher, but also to kind words from people you have never met and long time friends, who you hid your struggle from.
When I got this idea last year, I knew nothing about how to even do it. I was jumping in just with one idea. If I could just help one other person who was suffering, then it would be worth it. I knew that when I was looking for Dr. Jack, I wished I had found someone like me. No offense to anyone, but not some 115 pound athletic girl who dropped twenty pounds in two weeks. No, I needed to find someone I could relate to. Over fifty, severely overweight, feeling ugly, worthless. working a million hours, totally beat up, feeling as low as a person can get, people the medical community gave up on, and struggling every day with out of control symptoms, constant weight gain, couldn’t walk a flight of stairs without huffing and puffing. Yeah! Where were those people?? The real ones…. with before and after pictures who were like me! I found their pictures on Dr. Jack’s site but I wanted more, I wanted their stories….. and I wished I had them. That’s who I wanted my blog to be…. me…..the real story.
I know if I could have found those people, and they found hope, then I could find hope too! That is who I wanted to write for! Those people. … to yell to them….You aren’t hopeless….. there are answers for you! You CAN do this! Many years ago, my sister told me that I was the Champion of the Underdog, and I am! Those are my people.
Writing a blog has been an interesting part of my journey. I am the queen of awkward so this was a stretch. Lol…. I am a teacher, used to dealing with children all day. What do I know about writing for adults? I have always been….. different. Weird….. can’t help it, lol. But in doing this! I have changed.
First, you really get to know yourself. How far out of your comfort zone are you willing to go? I was going all in. I hadn’t come this far to do half a job. That has not been easy. Plenty of times, after writing something and sending it out, I get criticism. Unlike having a face to face conversation, you just keep talking. So there is no filter, no way to judge how the person across from you is taking what you are saying. They are not stopping you with their facial expressions or words and so you just keep talking. That has cost me a few friends, I must admit. People have defriended me on social media, stopped talking to me, told me that since I got healthier, I am no fun. Ahhhh…. well…. it’s okay that is their choice. And yet I have gained all kinds of friends who tell me the complete opposite. I have met some great people!
In writing a blog, you also get to know a lot of people who you have never met! Many people write to me both with their names signed and anonymously. Some have heart breaking stories about their Hashimoto’s. Many who have told me that they wrote to Dr. Jack or attending either a webinar or seminar. They tell me how they relate to my story. When I was invited by my life coach, Rob Ciminelli, to attend a BNI meeting that he, Dr. Jack, and Nancy Hughes, my Pilates instructor belong to, I had so many people who walked up and said, “Don’t I know you?” And as soon as I said I was Dr. Jack’s patient, they r cognized me and responded with, “Ohhhhhhhh….”
In writing my blog, I have occasionally reached out to blog writers for suggestions. I have listened to their suggestions, sometimes I took their advice, others not.
I promised myself when I started this, that my blog would remain a non money making site and it has. Although it does cost a little to run it, I don’t care. It isn’t some exorbitant amount and I consider the benefits I get from it. I have had advice from many who stumbled on it, that I could make money by advertising products through Amazon that I use. I have avoided that. I don’t mind sharing services or products that I have tried and I do put links for people I have worked with but I do it only as a means of helping others find them. I get nothing for that and I don’t want anything. Not my style. I never want this blog to feel like a job, everrrrrrr.
People tell me all the time, that they can’t believe what I put out there for all to read. I want to laugh and say, “Yeah! Me either!” Sometimes I think I say too much, but I am just being ME. I just keep trying to do that…..be me, be real. So I don’t write on schedule. I write when I get an idea. Sometimes that’s two a day, others it’s a week.
All I know is that the person who has gotten the most out of it, is me. It has made me brave! Sticking yourself way out there does that. And I appreciate most of all the kind, caring, sweet people who read here all the time. Hugssssssssssssss….. thanks for walking with me on my journey. It’s isn’t over yet…. so thanks for hanging with me.
Huge hugggggggssssssssssssssssss
Chris