I do almost all my writing at night. Like now. Except, instead of publishing this evening, I’ll schedule it to fly after midnight so it posts on the next day. While many of us are still sleeping, I have readers that live over the Pond (Hello London) that are waking up and I want them to read the latest blog post in the morning. With their warm tea and biscuits.
On Sunday night, I put the finishing touches on Must Have Fall Booties. I thought the photos were cute and I really loved the selection of booties I picked. So much so, that I bought myself a pair. I went to bed, oblivious of what was unfolding in Las Vegas. I tell people that I don’t watch the news. It’s true.
On Monday morning after we got the kiddos off to school, I was double checking a few links on my blog post and heard my husband swearing at his phone. And then he told me. I stared at my Must Have Fall Booties post and I felt sick. So ridiculously trivial. I shut my laptop and walked away.
It is so hard to come back to the keyboard after what happened in Las Vegas. My blog is so young compared to most and I never thought I would have to pause yet again and take a break from blogging because the news was that horrible. I can’t watch the news on TV so I troll Twitter instead. Of all the tweets that I have read in the past two days, this one is the one that has stayed with me the most:
“I have seen this (shooting massacre) headline three times in my life; Virginia Tech, Orlando, and now Las Vegas. I am only 22.”
I don’t know who he is or where he was at the time, but we can add Sandy Hook. And others, to his young life.
So I pause on days like these that feel like years. We all pause to mourn people we have never met. And I have to figure out how to move on and for me to feel okay about blogging about a gift store in Southport, Connecticut because I think that you’ll appreciate knowing about this new little gem of a store that is filled with unique one-of-a-kind treasures.
In the wake of mind numbing, heartbreaking and senseless acts I am left speechless and feeling helpless and searching for where to turn and what to do. I come back to one thing that I hear over and over again about this blog. I’ve heard from many people that Connecticut in Style is the first thing that they read in the morning. Some grab their phone and read it in bed. Others read it while brewing their coffee. And some read it with their first cup of coffee.
Knowing that I am part of a morning ritual here on the East Coast or 3,000 miles away in another time zone, gives me a sense of purpose and permission to move forward. I heard it again today from someone who has just begun to follow my blog.
I had a long and lovely lunch with my new friend BJ, and one of the things I shared with her is how awkward it feels to blog when so many tragic things are taking place. In between the hurricanes of rain or gunfire, we can’t catch our breath. I told her of my concern about appearing insensitive. Sometimes it’s a personal blog and sometimes it’s a business and sometimes it gets complicated to decide which identity to take on.
After I got back from lunch, I waited for the school buses to bring my children home to me. I took Jackson to baseball practice and Catherine and I nipped into the supermarket for a few things before picking him up. After dinner, bath time and bedtime, I checked my email and saw this note from BJ:
“By the way, I enjoyed your blog on Monday. In a world of insanity, it was like having coffee with a girlfriend and our world was a wonderful, safe, nurturing place again. All was going to be okay as long as my friends and family were nearby. I think it was helpful to have a normal blog on an abnormal day. Thank you.”
I can’t wish for a better compliment than that. I hope that this blog is a place that gives you a chance to escape for a few minutes and connect with something that inspires you, distracts you, brings you joy, or even some retail therapy.
