[pic: Autumn colours this week in Kyneton. With my sister Barbara, who is visiting from Western Queensland.]
Hello dear reader.
A decade ago I was an active blogger, confidently recording and discussing my thoughts and experiences as a midwife. Midwives, midwifery students, and others were reading the blog and occasionally commenting. When I retired from practice I felt I needed to also retire from blogging. I had no contemporary knowledge to share. I had no stories to tell. And besides that I was weary. Burnt out.
Writing a blog is
not much different from writing a diary. There are few rules. I am
free to write about anything I choose. That's one side of the coin. The
other side is more complex. I need to know that I have something worth
saying. I need to be ready to answer challenges that may arise.
If I am to re-start on the blogger's pathway, I think I need to find a subject that I am willing to explore and share. I need to find new stories. What does a woman in her 70s have to say in 2022? Perhaps the real question is 'is there anything that I should not say in 2022?'
People of my generation often have time on our hands. As you see from the photo accompanying this post, Autumn is upon us, and winter is not far off. We have a log fire burning this afternoon, and it's raining outside. More rain than we've seen for months! Wonderful!
People of my generation can spend time reading and responding. We can reflect on the decades of our own lives, and what we learnt from people of previous generations.
People of my generation may not care if their views on a matter are out of date, or against the popular view.
People of my generation are becoming increasingly conscious of our own limitations. We may get cataracts in our eyes and need replacement lenses. We may need knee or hip or shoulder replacements; we may have too much cholesterol, or liver or kidney problems; we may be obese. We may be active in all sorts of groups and clubs, or we may be overwhelmed by loneliness or sadness.
Our world has been struggling with the covid pandemic for the past two years. During the days and weeks of self isolation I have worked on scanning and collating old photos and documents. That gives me a starting point for my next blog entry.
What is worth keeping?
How can this be done?
