Minding My Nest

When I first started toying with the idea of having a blog, my biggest challenge wasn’t really what to write about. Lord knows I can blather on like nobody’s business.  No, the thing I spent the most time thinking about was what I was going to call my blog. I liked the idea of it having a nest theme, but as I’ve shared before, I just hate the term “empty-nest” and all its sad connotations.

So I brainstormed for weeks about a blog name that would accurately describe how and what I felt about my nest. What my nest meant to me. I tried replacing “empty” with every sort of antonym, but it just didn’t fit. And every time I tried to think of something catchy, it felt more cliché than anything. So I decided that I’d put it on the back burner for a while, hoping that a little time and space would produce something that felt meaningful to me.

A week or so later I was driving on my way home and thinking about how sore my arms were from the yoga workout I had done the day before.  And then I remembered how the yoga instructor had talked about mindfulness during the workout. What it means to be truly present. Not being attached to something from the past or grasping toward something in the future, but being attentive to the here and now.

Sitting at a stop light two blocks from my house, I finally made the connection.  Mindfulness was not only the key to my blog name, but also a good approach to the changes that I knew were coming my way.

That was two years ago.

Today marks my two year blogiversary. Two years since Minding My Nest made its appearance on the web. Two years since this journey commenced.

I could never have imagined the places where this journey has taken me and the changes that I have experienced. And yet, some things haven’t changed a bit. I’m still just a wife, and mom with a camera. Minding my nest. Appreciating my ordinary life. So grateful for the love and support of my family and friends. So amazed by the outpouring of encouragement by all of you who read my blog.

There aren’t words to tell you how much your kindness means to me. I just hope you know that it lives in a very special place in my heart. I am forever grateful.

Love, Kelly