Tuesday, November 04, 2014

3000/8

I've had a few days to prepare for toady's post. I wanted to write something very special. But, as always, life got in the way. On Sunday, after feeling well all day, I had symptoms kind of like my allergies were acting up. But, and hour later, WHAM, I was sick. I still am very ill, cough, cold, sore throat, runny eyes - all of it. So, I'm really out of commission. And, of course, it's hard to be inspired when you are sick, sitting on your chair, in your housecoat, covered in blankets, sipping tea.

So.

No inspiration.

But here I am at a blog milestone. This post, this very post you are reading, is my 3000th post. Three. Thousand. Posts. On October 8th of this year, the blog celebrated, quietly and without fanfare, it's 8th anniversary. I let that pass because I saw I was drawing close to the 3000 post mark.

In these 8 years and 3000 posts Rolling Around in My Head has gone through many ups and downs, the biggest change being the name of the blog which was, originally, Chewing the Fat. The ups and downs have been both readership and number of comments. Right now I'm at the lowest average readership level that I've ever been at and the comments, while still wonderful, are at the lowest ebb. Several blogs this year have gone without comment, which is a first in 8 years.

Even with these new lows in readership and comments, I still feel that the blog serves a function. I need to in order to continue to write, almost daily, after all these years. Whenever I'm at a conference or a presentation I always meet a blog reader and we always, that's every time, have a nice conversation about the blog and about what it has meant to me and what it has meant to that reader.

So.

I know it matters.

The changes haven't just been in readership and comments, they have been in me as well. I used to feel absolutely compelled to write daily, even if I didn't have much to say, or anything much new to talk about. Now, I have given myself a day off or two when that happens, I decided I didn't want this blog or our relationship as writer and reader to become burdensome. And, it isn't. I still learn and am challenged by the comments, both positive and negative. I have changed how I've thought about things because of what's said in the comments. Further, I speak about things differently because I've been called on how I've written something. So, I'm still growing because of this.

To those who are still around, thank you.

To those who comment, thank you very much.

I'm still enjoying, all these years later, all these posts later (3000!) the community of people who come here regularly, or just when they can. I am still writing this because you are still reading this ...

Wow.

8 years.

3000 posts.

Not what I thought would happen when I first sat down and created this blog.

But I'm glad I did.

I hope you still are too,.

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for writing this I look forward to reading it over the years. L

Judy and Bill said...

Congratulations Dave, Bill and I read your blog all the time and we find it very enlightening and enjoyable. CONTINUE THE GOOD WORK

Anonymous said...

Dave! We read you every day! Congratulations and thanks for making us re examine our thoughts on disability, even after our 30 plus years "in the field"!
Fans in California

Unknown said...

A sincere thank you for your 3000 posts. I joined your readership late in the game, maybe a year ago or so. You are on my daily read list. I so value your perspective and appreciate the effort you put into your posts.

Louise said...

I'm glad you did, for one.
:-)

Deborah said...

Congratulations! And thank you for keeping up with the blog. Your blog has challenged me, encouraged me, and inspired more conversations (with my husband, with friends) than any other blog I read.

Karry said...

Congratulations, and thanks....

fleagle2 said...

A relatively new reader I enjoy your blog enormously. Thank you

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, Dave. Three thousand is quite a milestone. I begin my day by reading your post and could not imagine a better way to get my head or my heart started -- sometimes both. I've learned so much and appreciate your commitment.
Cheers!

Anonymous said...

(hand up) I'm glad

Princeton Posse said...

Congratulations, Dave, that's quite an anchievement! Your blog has made me a better care giver and better, kinder person. I thank you.

Andrew said...

Congrats on a big milestone, and a big "thank you" for blogging! This is a first-read, must-read part of my day, even when you don't post. Well done --- keep up the good work!

ABEhrhardt said...

I read every day (occasionally in arrears), but don't always comment - because you're so often right!

I'm disabled, too, in several ways - but I continue to learn from you, because I don't think deeply about disability (though I'm writing a novel with a disabled main character - which takes up all my usable energy).

I tend, instead, to fight MY disabilities so I can write, and do a few 'normal' things, albeit slowly and painfully - and then, exhausted, somehow make it through the rest of the day.

I'm grateful you do so much of the heavy lifting for my brain. I'm envious that you can actually work, proud of you for all you do.

Alicia

PS Happy anniversaries!

Anonymous said...

I haven't been reading since the beginning.. but since I first read your blog, it has been one that I read daily. While I certainly would not want it to be burdensome, I do notice when there is not a new post... and worry just a little sometimes.

I don't always comment, because there are only so many times I can say "Wonderful column, Thank you!"

Sharon

Jeannette said...

Dave, from the first time I read one of your posts, your blog has become an important part of my life. I usually don't comment because I feel that I don't have anything pertinent to say, but every day I read what you have written, and I thank you in my heart.
Every.
Day.
Thank you.

Desiree said...

Dave, I have been a faithful blog reader since I had the great pleasure of meeting and working with you at NYSACRA's DSP Conferences in Long Island and New York last year. I am not much on commenting, but prefer to just read, process and learn from your stories and insights. Thank you for continuing to share and congratulations on achieving such a great milestone. I look forward to reading the next 3000 blogs!
Desiree

Anonymous said...

I read your blog every day and my partner knows exactly who I mean when I say Dave says.... (whatever you have said that day).
Thank you.

Janielle said...

Congratulations Dave!!! I'm happy for you! When will you be in New York?

Rosemary said...

Congratulations on your 3000th posts and eight-years of writing. I am a faithful reader. Yours, Rosemary

Anonymous said...

I'm a fairly new reader and poster here, and hope to see your writings for a long time! Congratulations, Dave on this milestone. Hope you feel better very soon. I'll have some tea in support. :) samm in welland

Anonymous said...

Dave, I usually lurk (being autistic and shy) but today I want to peek out and say thank you so much for your work! Your blog is on my short list of must-reads. Your kindness, your generosity of heart, your willingness to talk frankly about disability and its many impacts on life, your delightful posts about stuff you do with Joe and with Ruby and Sadie, all are wonderful reading and food for much thought.

Thank you, Dave, for what you do and for who you are. Happy anniversary!

Tamara G. Suttle said...

Dave, thank you for continuing to blog at Rolling Around in My Head. I don't make it here nearly often enough. However, when I do, I am always challenged and delighted, too.

I don't know if you know this but I use your blog as an example in my BlogStart for Therapists class every single time I teach it. It's an excellent example of how blogging can be a disrupting act of activism.

Also, I have read the statistic that the average blog gets no more than 10% of readers to actually comment. Keep up the good work!

Flemisa said...

Very happy that you have blogged this long.
I am one of those who don't comment most days. Sometimes just need time to think things over and then don't go back to comment. Sometimes I just have time for a quick read and back to daily life.
But do read every day. And quote you often.
Hope you continue to blog for many more years and entries while taking very good care of yourself.

Cindy B. said...

I am another reader but non-commenter 99.5% of the time. Most of the time I learn stuff, once in a while I get angry but I always come away with something to think about.

Happy Blogiversary - sort of!

Andrea S. said...

Congrats! I know I don't comment much these days -- I guess too much of my energy is taken up elsewhere. But I still read everything you write!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on reaching 3000! I read your Blog daily when I can. Sometimes, I go into the archives and read your entries from times past. There is always a lesson... Thanks, Dave!

wheeliecrone said...

Yours is the blog that I read every day. Every. Day.
I don't always comment. Sometimes you have said it all.
I do, however respect what you have to say, even when I don't agree with you (I almost always agree with you).
And what you have to say makes me wish that you would come to Australia so we could have a good old conversation.
Thank you.

B. said...

Congratulations, Dave. For many of your blogs I nod and smile in recognition and feel less alone in experiencing 'disability', and many have been very thought provoking. Thank you.

Kristine said...

3000 posts, 8 years... Pretty remarkable. I'd say the only thing more remarkable than the quantity is the quality. :)

THANK YOU for every one of those posts, as well as the comments/conversations they've inspired. This blog is some of the best stuff the internet has to offer. I read it religiously, and I'm a better person for it. Your words challenge me, stretch me, validate me, comfort me, inspire me... and sometimes just make me laugh. :) I can't help hoping for 3000 more!

Anonymous said...

I'm a fairly recent convert too and rarely comment on blogs. But I would sure miss this one if it wasn't around. Thankyou :-)

pattib said...

Congrats, well done, and feel better!

Anonymous said...

Keep on Keeping On, Dave!

I'm reading since the very early days of CTF!

After 10 years of living with disability when my son arrived with an extra chromosome I too am noticing subtle changes in myself.

Your posts have helped educate me, made me see things from another perspective, made me laugh and at times made me cry!
What I love most of all about you and your writing is your integrity!

Thanks you for sharing your life journey with me and others! It's helped me a lot.

Wishing you love, light and good health for the next 3000 posts!

Love LinMac ( Linda in Dublin)

Ron Arnold said...

I read your thoughts here nearly every day Dave. I appreciate your perspective and it helps keeps me more mindful of my approaches to folks and in supervision via the work I do. Thank you!

I also understand the 'blogging bug' and how it ebbs and flows. I used to have a blog myself and was up for an award or two. That's when I backed out of it. I realized when folks nominated me that it was no longer about it being a nifty clearinghouse for my head - but that folks were into it and were provoked by it - and that was a pressure I personally didn't want. Some folks voiced their disappointment while others (the ones who really 'got' me) were more than cool with it. I thought of my blog as a clandestine little coffee shop in a shady cul-de-sac and I didn't want it to become a Tim Horton's. That's just me.

For whatever your reasons for writing - I'm glad you have them. I'll continue to show up as long as you put words out here in the ether. =)

wendy said...

Congratulations on 3000 posts! That represents a lot of work for you and a lot of learning and stretching and pondering and laughing and crying for the rest of us. Thank you.

krlr said...

I'm sorry I don't comment nearly enough but, as you said, sometimes life gets in the way and I'm usually reading a week or two in arrears. But I adore you & your words and always leave thinking. Thank you for for sharing with us and CONGRATULATIONS on your 3000th (!) post. Hope you feel better soon!

Cynthia F. said...

Mazel tov, Dave! I'm still reading, more often in batches every few weeks rather than daily, not sure why. But I'm pretty sure I've read every one of your 3000 posts, and my life has been changed for the better as a result. I have learned so much from you! Whatever you decide to do in the future, I'm very glad for what you've done all these years!