Where have 7 years of blogging gotten me?

And just like that another year has gone by. As of October 2, So What? Now What? is seven years old. When I wrote my first blog post, I described this blog as a public reprogramming of my internal route guidance…hoping to answer the question “What’s next for me? Where do I go from here?”

This blog is my public “reprogramming.” I hope you’ll find it entertaining. I imagine there will be lessons learned–whether they are inspirational examples or cautionary tales is yet to be seen. Either way, I hope you’ll join me for the journey.

~Christie Hawkes, You have arrived at your destination, October 2, 2015
Hand pinning a location on a map.

Guess what? I’m still not sure what’s next or where I’m headed…but I have learned a few things along the way. One of those things being that no matter how well you plan the trip, the map is constantly changing and the route recalculating.

At this time last year, I was wondering aloud whether I would even continue blogging. And here I am…still plugging away. Still not 100 percent sure what I am doing, but doing it anyway. 

I appreciate those who have accompanied me on the journey…all of your encouragement, advice, and friendship over these past seven years. I won’t even try to guess where the next 12 months will take us, but wherever it is, I hope we will still be together.

Your turn

  1. What were you doing seven years ago?
  2. What do you hope to be doing one year from now?
  3. How did we first meet?
  4. What else is on your mind? Anything at all; I just love hearing from you.

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Image by piviso from Pixabay 

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20 Comments

  1. As a longtime blogger I adore learning what a new blogger thought she was going to do– and seeing where she is today. I like your original idea, ’tis lofty yet easy to understand. Here’s hoping you’re around for another 7 years.

    I have no idea how we met, btw. One day you just seemed to be in my corner of the blogosphere. Glad you are.

    1. Thank you for the kind words, Ally. I’m not sure exactly how we met either, but I suspect it was through a comment you left on another blog I was following or perhaps we both participated in a linkup. I do know that you first commented on my blog on 10/16/2017, so we’ve been connected for five years now! (BTW, I looked that up…my memory isn’t that good.)

  2. Hi, Christie – Congratulations on 7 years of blogging. Here are my answers to your questions.

    What were you doing seven years ago?
    I had been retired for 3.5 months. In January 2016 I began my blog so I am just a couple of months behind you in our blog anniversaries! 😀

    What do you hope to be doing one year from now?
    I hope to continue to be enjoying retirement life with good health for myself and my family and friends.

    How did we first meet? On our blogs, almost seven years ago. It’s been a pleasure to follow you!

  3. Hi Christie – Congrats on 7 years – I can SO relate to this – I’m coming up for 8 years soon and I’ve chopped and changed the reasons for blogging countless times. I’ve thought about stopping, changed directions, documented my ups and downs, and I’m still back every week. I just love the friendships and the opportunity to have a place to engage on an authentic level – and I guess that’s why we’ll probably be here again next year checking in 🙂

    1. Hello Leanne! Here we are another year later, sharing a birthday month and blogging anniversary…and so much more. I’m truly grateful that we connected more than five years ago now. Here’s to many more!

  4. Hi Christie. I am pleased you’re still blogging as I always enjoy reading your words. So what was I doing 7 years ago? You have just sparked a memory I haven’t thought of in ages. I had just sold my cafe and was wondering what’s next.

    1. Thank you Jennifer. I’ve also enjoyed getting to know you through your blog. At the time you sold your cafe, would you have guessed what your life would be today? I’m curious if it looks anything like you expected at the time.

  5. Your description about the map changing although you planned the trip is so spot on! That’s not only about blogging but also about life, as I see it. Congrats on 7 years blogging. I hope to be blogging somehow in the same place for so many years… but we’ll see.

    2015 I was working as a nurse in a palliative care ward, and I remember that was the year they started doing cutdowns and fiddling with management and after being certain I would work there until retirement, everything started going downhill, and eventually I decided to leave my profession and move to Ireland.

    One year from now I hope to make money on graphic design, be a more confident musician, and to be on track with health and exercise.

    I first met you through Denyse’s link-up!

    Hope to see you continue blogging.

    1. It’s interesting to look back at where you’ve been, isn’t it, Susanne? What seemed “downhill” at the time led you to where you are today, working toward your dream career as a graphic designer. Life is full of twists and turns. Enjoying the journey is the tricky…and most important…part. I’m so happy that we linked up. A big thank you to Denyse!

  6. What a great reflective post Christie. I love these….

    OK, I was in a pile of anxiety after moving in the January of 2015 to the Central Coast of NSW away from family etc. We did it to enjoy some peace and have more nature around us (after paying out the mortgage and buying new cars) but nope, for me it was a wrench of separation from all I know BUT…there is always a BUT…I already had a blog and put it to good use, getting myself into a daily blogging habit that gave me a plan of sorts….

    And over time, even though my health worsened (oh and a little thing called cancer dropped by in 2017) I learned a LOT about myself and how I could survive I guess.

    I think I first saw your blog and writing when I was linking up to Sue and Leanne’s Midlife Link up. I met quite a few new blogging friends this way and I love that many are still blogging now too.

    And you shared your story as a woman of courage for which I was very grateful…

    So good to see your post in the Wednesday’s Words and Pics link up for this week. How can it be early October??

    Thanks so much for sharing and being part of the #WWandPics Community.

    Hope to see you next week too.

    Denyse.

    1. What a journey it has been for you, Denyse. You’ve come a long way in the past seven years. I think you are correct that we met through the Midlife link-up. I’m so grateful for the connections I made there. Thank you for offering this new opportunity to connect with other bloggers around the world.

  7. Interesting, I was reading my journal last week (I only seem to write about 4 entries a year, so one book covered ten years!) and I mentioned to Mark that you had started your blog in 2015 and I had written what a good writer you are. And you still are. ?

    Also, my youngest got married and Mark retired. Sadly that’s also the year Bryan passed away.

    I’m guessing I met you when I was born and you were two years old, or very soon after. Love you sis!

    1. Thank you, sister, for those kind words. 2015 was a momentous year in our family…a lot going on…mostly good. That said, I truly cannot believe it has been seven years since Bryan left us.

      I feel truly blessed that we are sisters and good friends. I love you.

  8. Our blogs were born the same year! Mine was 7 years old in July. You made me go back and look at my first post where I claimed to be the “poster child for doing retirement all wrong”! By October of that first year, I was blogging chapters of my book. Didn’t know it at the time though. I’m not sure when we linked up, but I recall seeing your blog name and thinking,”so much more creative than mine!” A year from now… I actually think I’m going to be doing about the same as this week – living each day fully, balancing activities around my lifestyle vision statement. Sometimes I worry I don’t have some big 5-year vision anymore. But then I settle in to living each day and enjoying the moments…and know that’s OK.

    1. It’s fun to look back at what our intentions were when we began the blogging journey, isn’t it Pat? What I love about the name of your blog is that you know exactly what you are getting. If someone is looking for help (or connections) transitioning into retirement, they understand they will find it with you. The first comment by you that I can find on my blog was in October 2019. I’m not sure if that is when we first connected. To be honest, it feels like it’s been longer than that…like we’ve known each other for ages. I love that you are content with your lifestyle. If your five-year vision is to be as happy in the moment as you are right now, that’s a beautiful thing.

  9. Many congratulations on your 7 years of blogging. It’s interesting how our initial intentions can morph and wend their way to becoming something different and yet the same. I’m looking forward to seeing how and where you will go with yours.

    I also cannot remember where I found out, but I’m so delighted I did.

    7 years ago I was helping to nurse my dying father. Life has changed considerably since then as that experience proved to be a virtual full-stop on my previous life, with only aspects of it carried forward in a meaningful way. I have dreams for 1 year from now, ones I’m working hard to achieve.

    1. Thank you Debs. The path through blogging…and life in general…is rarely straight, is it? That’s what makes it so interesting. I too am so happy we connected. If I recall correctly (and I’m not sure that I do), I found your blog through a comment you left on someone else’s blog that I was following. Good luck on your dreams for the coming year. I’m eager to see where the journey takes you.

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