Owning Your Voice

This site, where I have shared so much with you and in turn have learned so much from you all, has turned 3 years old.

To think that in December of 2008 I simply started writing with the intention of staying connected to our family out-of-state and share with them what our new lives back in NYC from Wisconsin, and with me as a stay at home mom (yes, this was what I was supposed to do) was going to be like.

I was excited to share, but lacked the confidence in my voice, in my ability to interest anyone – even my family – in what I had to say. So, I hid behind the 3rd person. In my very first post I give an insight into my new life; the playground cliques, the changing scene in New York, and my favorite place to visit nearby, Fort Tryon Park, all while hiding behind this persona I had created to shield me from criticism and ridicule.

I thought it silly at the time to be sharing my life via a computer with everyone. I mean, not to date myself, but when I was a kid we called each other on the phone or (gasp!) wrote letters. I had NO IDEA there was this whole world of blogging out there, I had no idea the life changes that have taken place were even possible for us, and I had no idea you would ever care enough to read, and respond, and come back for more.

I wrote about the time I met Barbara, from the fabulous travel blog a Hole in the Donut, and how her words of courage and pride as a female writer forever changed how I would write on this blog. I will never forget it. This is what I wrote in the post where I detail our meeting:

In talking about our paths and what has lead us to travel writing and in sharing with her how I came to blogging, she asked, “Why do you write in the third person?”  I paused.  I realized even before I answered that those ancient reasons seemed silly to me now, 7 months later, but I told her anyway. 

“When I started writing I felt weird about it being all about I, I, I. It didn’t seem believable to me, at the time, that anyone would be interested in what “I” had to say.”  And she looked at me, sharing with me in essence, the importance of women being confident in their writing, how it was this lack of confidence that lead, for example, to such low numbers in female submitted editorial pieces to such giants as The New York Times and others.  She encouraged me, in short, to own my blog and come out  from behind it. – From previously published Adventures at BlogHer 2009

Today, I sit here writing as I have since I met Barbara in 2009, owning my voice, my writing, happy and proud to share my words with you, humbled and honored to have you here reading them all.

It’s been an incredible year for us. Just today Babble named this blog, NYCityMama, one of their Top 100 Mom Blogs in 2011, one of several accolades we have received. And we again, we are humbled and honored that you are here, reading.

But in moments like this I am reminded of all the amazing people, like Barbara, who have inspired me, motivated me, encouraged me, pushed me, and given me the opportunities that make this site what it is today. It is because of them bloggers, writers, travel and public relations professionals, marketers, family and friends, both new and old – and even some I have never met – that I am here. It is because of their friendship and faith in me and in my work that I have the many wonderful stories that I do to share with you.

It remains our goal to inspire you to live life to the fullest. To travel and explore. To taste and discover. To take nothing for granted or look past the details.

Whether a traveler, or not, with kids or not, plan on visiting NYC or any of the places we visit and share with you here, or not, we thank you for reading, commenting, connecting, and caring.

It’s an amazing thing to own your voice. It doesn’t have to be loud. It doesn’t have to have a blog. But speak it. Use it with pride. Allow it to bring you forth in all your adventures and through all of life’s challenges.

My family and I look forward to sharing many more adventures with you! Thank you all for an amazing year!

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Tags: opinion
Posted in Adventures, Editorials, Latest Adventure | 9 Comments »