This week I’ve been reflecting on my writing—something I’ve been working on all year. Maybe it’s the effect of December, that instinct to look back and make sense of how I spent the last eleven months.
And in that process, I started to suspect something: maybe I keep posting even in silence because writing isn’t really a performance, but it is simply how I think. Publishing forces me to clarify vague ideas into concrete sentences and encourages me to commit.
The value rarely appears quickly. But maybe someone will find an old post months later, ask for a collaboration, or even become a future friend through an unexpected reader. Sometimes, it can be more personal: my writing helps me reread and finally understand my own thoughts. Nonetheless, writing publicly becomes a quiet act of resilience. A habit that remains whether anyone notices or not.
Perhaps nobody is reading right now, but the work is still here, adding substance to my thinking. And that alone is enough reason to keep going.
Credits: Cover photo by Lidia Zajdzińska on Unsplash
8 responses
> The value rarely appears quickly.
Very true. Recently, I wanted to find out the exact date when my lemon tree first bore fruit last year. I remembered blogging about it, figured out it was in October 2024, and that helped me compare that harvest with this year’s.
I just saw the photographs of your lemon tree, and they’re fantastic. I am a plant lover myself, and I have the same plant on my balcony. It was once grand like yours but last year it suffered from a disease and decreased a half. But it’s recovering, despite the hot-and-cold peaks of Milanese weather. I’m sure they grow better in Costa Rica 🌞
I’m visiting my parents in Brazil in two weeks, and I know how plants love the tropics. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Nice thoughtful post! I like having readers in my blog, of course, who doesn’t. But at the end, it’s all about sharing what I have to say, and eventually who needs to hear it will hear it, no matter if it’s 1000 people or just 1. And it feels good to have helped.
Absolutely! Having someone read (and comment) is always fantastic, and I thank you for doing that here 🙏🏻,
I love it too, but I also constantly remind myself that this is not my goal, so I don’t get frustrated when nobody shows up.
I totally agree! Writing is thinking. I love blogging because it helps me formulate my thoughts, make connections, and leave a trail of how my thinking is progressing. All of that is so beneficial to me, whether anyone reads it or not. 🙂
Thanks for sharing, Tess. You’re absolutely right—and I do read your blog 🎨
I have long said that I am the biggest reader of my blog, and I think that is still the case. For me, it has always been a way to write down stuff I want to remember, and if it so happens to interest or benefit other people as well, then that is just icing on the cake.
It took me a while to reach that thinking, but that’s definitely the truth, Robert. Thanks for sharing your take.