366/199b

i went to the dentist yesterday (for a new tooth), and while i was there, i had a funny sort of conversation with the hygienist. i posted about it yesterday afternoon. maybe you saw it?

but when i came back to visit the blog last night (as i sometimes do, if i'm thinking or wondering about what i've written here), i noticed that the conversation wasn't actually all that funny, except in a sort of mocking way. which was, of course, not at all how i was thinking about it when i posted originally. the hint of unkindness was only something i noticed upon reading the conversation over again (and again). so i took the post down. i've never done that before.

this blog has, from the beginning, been a place of beauty in my world. a place to notice and share the loveliness, spots of joy, and goodness in the world around me. sometimes, even when that goodness is mired in the muck. or in junky toys. of course, not every day is filled with loveliness and joy. but even within those darker moments, i like to look for the light. to find the kindness. that's how i try to live my life. it's how i try to write this blog.

yesterday was a little reminder. to look more carefully. to be more kind. and it couldn't have come at a better moment.

today marks one year since the beginning of shining egg.

when typepad prompted me, last march, to enter a tag line for the blog, i wrote "a life of creativity and mindfulness." that's how i try to live, and this blog has helped me to live even more creatively and even more mindfully this past year. and in ways i never could have imagined. yesterday was a perfect example.

thank you, then. for being here during this year. for sharing this space and this internet neighborhood with me. for sharing these bits of my life and my journey. for becoming my friends. to say that i'm grateful for your company would be an understatement.

these 366 days have been filled with so much adventure and friendship and discovery and fun. i'm practically bursting to find out what the next 365 will bring.

Comments

[hrsj]

Hi Emily. I read your deleted post last night, and didn't feel a mocking tone from it. "I thought, there's tv's in dentist's offices? I've never seen that."
I like what you say about finding lightness in the dark, and feel I try to do the same. Thank you for the beauty and light you bring here and honestly sharing your thoughts.

Happy one year!

[erin]

one year! hooray for you! thanks for sharing your journey, emily. you have brought many smiles to my days.

[Sarah Jackson]

outstanding! you've come a long way in a year and I've enjoyed reading you. Thanks for being here to bring beauty into my day.

[melissa]

What a beautiful post, Emily! I also read yesterday's post, and I got a little giggle out of it. I didn't see mockery, but I note that many of us creative mama bloggers are cut from a different cloth than most of the world out there. This is one reason that I read blogs and started my own- to know that yes, there are other people out there in the world who think and feel the way I do, so I don't feel quite as out of step anymore. Mainstream, I may not be, but I'm also not alone.

[amisha]

happy 366, emily. i am new to this space but i am so, so happy to have found you :)
xo
ps i read that post on bloglines and i also did not think that it was unkind... but i think your reflecting on it, and choosing to remove it, is remarkably thoughtful and deeply kind.

[Tracy]

I am glad to have found your neighborhood to share with you. Your words resonate for me, and I learn things each day here. Congratulations on your year.

[Ali]

Happy blog anniversary! I didn't think you were unkind either, by the way. But it's good you know what you want your blog to be.

[Molly]

You have shown incredible grace. We all make mistakes, and say things we don't mean. Showing grace in difficult moments is the hard part. Thank you for being vulnerable by sharing this with us. Happy Blog-versary!

[julia]

emily- i read your post yesterday too and then when i went to comment on it, it wasn't there. what i was going to say was- they have tvs at my dentist! and i hate it. and they always give me weird looks when i ask them to turn off the screen in front of my chair that's advertising various dental procedures with cartoon animals. ugh!

anyways, congrats on one year of beautiful photos and words. i'm so happy that i discovered your blog (can't even remember how now). it definitely brings creativity and mindfulness to my days.

ps: i promise i'm mailing your package soon!

[ani]

happy blogiversary! i had no idea this was your first year. you do such a lovely job in this space. you are a natural.

i didn't catch any mocking tone to the 'ghost' post but i know what you mean. i'm trying to cultivate the seeds of joy and compassion but i know that i stumble (often). :)

looking forward to another year...

[Alicia A.]

Congrats, sweet Emily. I hope you'll keep sharing these bits of yourself for a long time to come.

(I read the post too- it wasn't really very mocking or mean, but I do understand.)

[cloth.paper.string]

hooray for one year, emily! thank you for sharing bits from your world here, for adding so much inspiration to this community.

i too look forward to what the days ahead hold for you.

[Hannah]

Has it been a year already? I can remember first discovering your blog after Cara's blogging for comments post. Wow. You do bring so much beauty to the world. Thank you so much for sharing.

It's been a fabulous journey. I, like you, can't wait to see what this next year brings!

[melissa]

i love your blog. you write so well. here's to many more years of shining egg! xx

[raina]

Thank you for blogging. Your blog is a joy to read and it is one of the few I read on a regular basis. I enjoy the photos and thoughts in it. Happy blogging anniversary. Don't feel bad about taking a post down - sometimes what is funny one day is not funny the next...that is how life is.

[Grace]

It *was* pretty ironic and funny, though. But I hear you. On not wanting to make the blog anything than a place of beauty in your life.

Congratulations on one year, Emily.

[alice]

I didn't think it was mocking. I was just interested that there are TVs in the dentist at all! I have never heard of that before. I guess it wouldn't happen on the NHS here.

Today I also had a freak out about something I wrote yesterday about how I try to shop in an ethical way as I thought it might come off as critical of other people so I shortened it.

I guess it is better to be a worried careful blogger than one who doesn't give a s*** about who they hurt :)

[Toni]

happy one year! i've only recently found your blog and i love it. i have the same goals as you do about blogging--i always want to lean toward the light :)

[shelley caskey]

happy one year blog birthday! your blog is truly a delight to read and i really loved this post and your words about finding the joy and living in kindness! very inspiring. :)

[leslie]

i just read the post you spoke about in this post. honestly emily, it was fine. i think many of us mothers would have the same thoughts about what the hygienist said. but i so understand what you mean by keeping your space a joy to visit. because believe me....it is SUCH a JOY to visit! thanks for the year! and congrats.

and no, our dentist does not have a television on the ceiling or on the wall. :)

[martha]

happy one year! Glad you are here (and I really didn't mean to make a lame rhyme).
xo

[Nicole]

Wow! What beautiful photos! I love tulips. I just happened across your site for the first time. Lovely!

[joanna]

happy anniversary! i love reading your blog very much! =)

[Angie]

Happy blog anniversary! Visiting your blog is such a delight :-)

[miss chris]

Happy blog anniversary, emily... I sure do enjoy yours and look forward to lots more from you. xoxo