Tuesday, December 13, 2016

A Time to Change

I’m not so good with change.

Sure, I can be spontaneous and go with the flow in the day-to-day living of life. Yet when it comes to my appearance, I get, mmm, too comfortable. I’ve had the same haircut for decades and prefer the coziness of a worn-out sweater to a crisp new one. When my favorite lipstick color was discontinued, I bought all the tubes left on display, fearful I’d never find another to love.

But this summer, even I knew it was time to shake things up. I got a different haircut and tossed (most of) my expired cardigans. Throwing caution to the wind, I brought some color into my mostly black wardrobe and chose a new lipstick, which, frankly, suits me better than my old one.

The need to overhaul the look of my blog took longer to sink in. I started blogging in 2011. The first installments were meant to be companion pieces to my decoupage art website. In a very short time, however, the blog took on a life of its own and has continued to evolve over time. I’ve enjoyed every moment, but still, never gave any thought to changing the appearance of the blog site itself.
Until this past spring.

I’m so grateful that kind and supportive feedback began rolling in then. I received advice, guidance, and suggestions from friends, readers, and two fellow writers I’ve never met in person, but have befriended through Facebook. Luckily, no one beat around the bush. The bottom line was this: Love the content, but the blog look needs a total makeover.

I’m a good listener and agree that it’s time for a change. I’m excited to share that I’m in the process of building a new site with the help of my brother-in-law, a website pro who is very patient with me, even when I ask a million questions. The site will be home to my blog, but will also give me a place to feature the essays and other writing I publish elsewhere. Please keep an eye out for an email from me (soon, I hope!) with the link to the new site.

In the meantime, I’m happy to share my latest column in the New Jersey Jewish News, with some thoughts on my recent visit to Israel. http://njjewishnews.com/article/32673/exit-ramp-lost-and-found

I’m so glad our paths have crossed on these pages. Thank you all for keeping in touch.

Warmly,
Merri