I’ve had this simile stuck in my head for a while: a personal blog is like your front yard.

It’s your home turf, a bit of your identity put on public display, and you know you gotta do the upkeep, and every few months you actually repaint the fence, fix the porch, and plant a few trees. Unless you’re also actively putting signs up on your property to advertise and draw attention, it sort of sits there for people to stroll by and occasionally admire the flowers and fruits, or sometimes shake their heads at its unkempt state and wonder if the owner died.

But it’s still your own space, to tidy up and replenish with new plants and goofy ornaments. It can serve as a retreat from the hullabaloo and hyperactivity in the rest of the world. Maybe this is a outmoded way to think about a blog, especially when you’re young and wanting to leap out at the world; frozen time is certainly not representative of many other blogs. For the moment, though, I don’t really mind catching a breath of relief, as I lean back on my rocking chair and wave hello to the neighbors.