A Bona Fide Blogging (and Social Media) Hiatus

Yep, that pile of Yogi roadkill is me.

It was Sunday night, month seven of ten of my Yoga teacher training adventure. Aphrodite the cat humiliated me further by using my carcass as a doormat.

Philosophical exploration is part of the process of becoming a legitimate Yoga teacher.

A question I’ve been secretly asking myself for several months was asked aloud to the entire group of trainees: “What is the purpose of running around?”

It was dead silent.

Tears welled up in my heavy eyes and I choked down the unattractive sob which tried to escape from the depths of my throat.

Just as I suspected…guilty as charged.

When we run around in circles, we don’t get anywhere. No matter how much determination we muster, no matter how fast we go, we stay in the same unfulfilling place.

Ironically, last week I wrote a post called Stop Farting Around. It was meant to be an inspiring post, encouraging the pursuit of dreams.

However, it revealed something jarring to me.

I’m too busy pursuing, drowning in drunken visions of profound splendor. I try to do it all, and the scary thing is…I can pretty much do it.

Am I at peace? Am I satisfied? I think you know what the answers are here.

I need to prioritize my life for a bit. I allowed myself to choose 3 of the most important things…instead of the usual 764.

• LIFE – I need more of it…my magnificent husband Mr. H, my kooky cats, a great book, staring into space, smelling the roses, sleeping in, savoring a ridiculous meal. I want to bathe in all of it.
• NOVEL – I’m a novelist first, a blogger second. Those of my fellow writers out there in the same boat know how tricky it is to balance these two wonderful things. I am totally rocking the pants off of my first draft and I shall aim my writerly energy there during my time away.
• YOGA – I graduate from teacher training mid-June. Thus far the hefty pile of books, my practice and meditation, and the training weekends have been shoved into every remaining crevice of my free time. These final hours will require my full devotion.

As you can see, blogging didn’t make the list. How in the hell could it compete with all that anyway?

Therefore, I’m taking a hiatus. I know it sounds dramatic, but two months isn’t exactly a break.

Blogging is so incredible and I adore you all – my exquisite readers, my resplendent friends, my outstanding supporters. Nonetheless, when enjoyment morphs into stress and creativity evolves into pressure, it’s time to do something about it.

When I first wrote this post, it was quite laughable.

In fact, it was titled a “half-ass” hiatus rather than a bona fide one. I cooked up this whole scheme where I would still figure out a way to post archives and reblog, but then I owned up to the fact that none of that was the real deal.

To take it a step further, I knew something else had to go during the hiatus…social media. Twitter, Facebook, even good ol’ Goodreads.

In order to keep distractions at bay, all blogging related email notifications and all of my handy dandy Iphone apps will be temporarily suspended.

With all this rediscovered free time, who knows what will happen?

Maybe I’ll finish my first draft. Maybe I’ll have some Yoga teaching gigs in the works.

I know one thing…I’ll have more time to cuddle with Mr. H and the cats. And that, more than anything, is a reason to be ridiculously excited.

I get it. From a marketing standpoint, I’m doing this all wrong. I should have scheduled posts ahead of time and I should have lined up guest bloggers – yada, yada, yada.

Hell, I’m even celebrating my one year blogiversary during the hiatus! I should just wait, and do this later…yeah, that’s a cop-out, too.

From a life standpoint I’m doing this all right, trying something completely out of character. I’m slowing down.

And so the two month countdown begins. See, I even have a countdown thingamajig on the sidebar now.

I will still be around this weekend to reply to comments, share status updates on FB and Twitter, and catch up on some blog reading.

As of Monday, April 22nd, Britt’s going dark for two whole months.

I will do my best to respond to any comments made during the hiatus upon my return in June.

For those bloggers I follow religiously, please know that I will still be reading from my email but will not participate with my usual liking and commenting during the hiatus. I’ll be like one of those silky web stalkers we never hear from, but always seem to know what we’re up to. (Mwah, ha, ha!)

I am going to miss everyone here like crazy. Feel free to shoot me an email via the contact form and say hello.

Thank you all for your continued loveliness. I’ll see you soon.

With much, much love. – Britt