Globetrotting Grandpa: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of my first year blogging.

March 1st marked my “official” anniversary of Globetrotting Grandpa. I have the word official in quotations because I did write a couple of posts in February. I am choosing March 1st because it was the start of my first full month back in 2018 and it’s easier to remember. I wanted to take a moment and look back at the good, bad, and ugly from what I hope will be the first of many years here at GG. 

The Good

This blog is a lifesaver for me. I started it at one of the lowest points in my life. I felt like everything within me was trapped. I needed to write for myself. I needed something to look forward to. I’ve fallen in love with the entire creative process. Thinking up topics, writing an outline, creating the text and reviewing the pictures to find something just right. I also have enjoyed reading your blogs. I am humbled by many of them. So professionally made with captivating photos. Practically everything I learned (or had to unlearn) about making a quality blog came from all of you. So thank you for keeping the bar so high.

I love that this is such a diverse and international community. As travelers who blog ( or vice verse), we are always looking forward to someone else’s country that we sometimes ignore our own local area. And that’s a shame really because our home base is often extraordinary in its own right. Some of you who have been kind enough to follow this blog live in India, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia,  Columbia, South Africa, China, France, Romania, Trinidad Canada, and throughout the world.  In the last year, I have had visitors to the blog from 115 counties. All of you have a wondrous world right outside your door, and I’m very grateful when you share them with us. Traveling really isn’t about where you go, so much as it is how you go. I’m having a party doing this, and I am happy you are a part of the journey.

I am grateful that you have been patient with me when I expanded the theme to include health/fitness and even poetry. I hope you like the weekly haikus. I regard being healthy and fit as an essential component for productive travel.  At least it is for me. So I continue the quest to be a more best me possible into another year hopeful and with gratitude. Your encouragement has been so helpful, and I hope to inspire others in return.

The Bad

“Patience is a virtue” is more than a mantra for me, so much so, I should probably make the axiom into a tattoo. I want so much for this blog. I’m like a dad who tells his child he wants them to be a doctor when they really want to be a musician, But in reality, I have to let this blog grow organically. I want to do more traveling abroad, improve the quality of photography, be a better writer, make the blog look more professional and all this needs to be done yesterday. Not of this is where I am at the moment. I travel when I can afford it, have no money that I can invest in the design work I want for my page, and am having to rely on my travel friend frank for a lot of the photos. I use my camera on my phone, but the nice pictures are usually his handiwork. But all of these things can happen (and I am manifesting that they will) just most likely not anytime soon. I have to wait. And like Tom Petty always said, “the waiting is the hardest part.”

The Ugly

Time management. I hope I have been clear. I do expect to eventually find a way to blog full time. But until such time, I will be working a full-time job and blogging. I had no idea how much time blogging takes. I wear a lot of hats, writer, photographer (well My housemate frank helps too), editor, proofreader (admittedly, my weakest link), and publisher. I do this while working full time (5am to 3:30pm four days a week) and try to have some sort of social life.  As I mentioned, I sometimes post these when I get off work in the afternoon.  Often I am just exhausted. I have never been able to adjust to getting up at 4am. (Don’t get me wrong, I am blessed to have employment) It’s just that often I am just too tired to catch some of the grammatical and typographical errors. I so wish I could have more time. I try to balance the blog, work and still find time for my family, friends, and partners.  Also, I want time to exercise, it really is the glue that helps keep me together, but sadly is sometimes the first thing to go, when I am stressed. I know I can’t always keep things in balance. But I do want this blog to be successful. Maybe cause I am older now, but I am so much more cognizant of the clock than I was before. I also struggle with trying to keep the dream alight. It’s so far to where I envision this blog to be. But like I said, I will just have to learn patience.  I am so honored that people take time from their lives, for reading, commenting, and liking this blog. It means more to me than you could imagine. I always will strive to be worthy of that time.