Image from Flickr by Will Clayton

It’s hard for me to believe, but this month marks six years since I started blogging.

I remember nervously hitting publish on that first post, uncomfortable with the idea of broadcasting my thoughts and feelings to a public audience, a reluctance that now seems adorably quaint. Long gone are the days when putting ourselves out there inspired such thrilling anxiety; it’s both a relief and a sad kind of loss.

Back then, my heart aflame with the recent news that my book was to be published the following year, I committed to writing one blog post per week. That ambitious goal lasted approximately three months before I sheepishly conceded defeat.

I am not a fast writer, and despite being repeatedly assured that blog posts are meant to be written in a more casual and conversational style, I just don’t write that way. I decided I’d rather take my time and publish one or two posts per month than fire off one or more per week for the sake of producing content.

And I’m glad. Although I’ve never blogged frequently enough to earn much of a following, when I reread my old posts (six years’ worth!!) I’m proud of what’s there. Each entry was carefully thought out: every title, every picture, every paragraph break, every word—all with you in mind. Because if you’re here and reading, I want you to feel these posts are worth your time.

Hopefully I’ve succeeded. Thank you for sticking around, and in honor of that day six years ago, here’s a link back in time. I had just celebrated my 38th birthday and wrote about everything that was most important to me then, which happens to be the same things that are most important to me now: my family, my writing, and chocolate cake.

Some things never change.