The Blog Awakens

I swear, this one is for real.

It’s been a while, guys. Not that long I suppose, but being away for three months is still a great deal of time when you don’t pop in to say ‘Hello’, or offer a little nudge as to when you might return. It’s already April now, and so far I have said nothing about my return to blogging, or even my departure from it. Well, not publicly, at least.

Well it's definitely a return and not a departure, at least, because I always planned to come back on April 1st. I won't lie and say that the thought of quitting never entered my mind - it did - but I also anticipated my blogs awakening on tApril 1st as well. Because of the nature of the day itself, I also wanted a light-hearted return, but because I am actually terrible at making jokes of any sort, I thought that a simple 'I'm baaaack' would suffice. Plus I'm a fool anyway, so it all worked out in the end, for the good or the bad. 

In short: I'm back to blogging, and in my haste to return, I want to explain in a little more detail as to why I went into a sudden Hibernation period, and a few more things like what this break has given me in terms of growth and rest. All that boring stuff.

A lot went on on the day I chose to go into Hibernation mode, more than I was willing to reveal in my Hiatus post. There were things I needed to process, things I wanted to plan, and of course, things I needed to do. I didn’t really want to throw so much into one post, so I left it at me being stressed. Stress was certainly a big part of what made me go into Hibernation mode, but everything else that had happened in my life - as well as things I wanted to do away from O!MT - only added to it, making smaller issues and plans come together in a big ball of problems that I had to tackle. So I halted the blog, and the breathing period I have taken until now has helped me greatly, allowing me to finally put things into perspective and see what I should do to keep this blog - and my love for Idols - alive.

Of course this break has done more good than it has bad. It’s allowed me to figure things out and see where I wanted to go with my blog, whilst also allowing me to understand that blogging is not the sole reason why my love for Idols is so strong. Actually, I think that this is the most positive discovery since taking time away from here, because before this, I felt that my connection to Idols was there solely because of writing so much. I’m happy in the knowledge that my love for Idols goes beyond the pages and posts I have accumulated here, and that this adoration for music, J-pop and Idols has grown even more despite being away from Okay! Musume Time. I’m here for the long-haul, whether I write or not, and that’s a wonderful realisation to have.

There has also been the positive boost in my work and home life. I’m sleeping a lot better now (but not always), and I’m doing so much better at work. Without focusing on my blog so much, there has been a lot less worry and stress on my mind, and I am a lot more relaxed. Taking this into account, I’ve realised I should probably not blog as heavily as I tend to, or push myself into doing so much in such a small frame of time. It might be hard to follow through, but I think it’s a mature decision if I can implement a healthy blogging regime into my lifestyle.

I’ve also been able to focus a lot more on other things in my absence. Though I am not posting as much as I would like on Selective Hearing, I have certainly spent more time planning posts and thinking about other things to do with the site. There has also been a spike in my YouTube activity, something I didn’t anticipate, but it was a delightful change of pace. I am not the most reliable in either my blogging or video activities, so to see myself working harder at my channel was refreshing and fun. It’s something I want to continue even after returning to my blog.

Of course I’ve had my down moments. This period of Hibernation was nice to have, but it did lead me to thoughts about closing Okay! Musume Time down for good. It’s not the first time I’ve thought it - it’s a frequent consideration - but I know that doing such a thing would only make me unhappy. Besides, it’s not the right time, and I’ve already made some plans for the blog. They aren’t exciting in any way shape or form, but they are things I hope to try.

There are other parts about the Hibernation which were hard, but I won’t go into them. I am happy to share things with you - you are my friends and dear Readers - but there are some things that are better kept to myself.

And that’s it. These are the things I needed to say. There is more I could write, plans and ideas, notes and thoughts that have crossed my mind about the future of this blog, but that will all come in due time, perhaps in a Blog Update. For now this will have to do. I don’t want to overwhelm you, and I don’t want rush everything in one post. I hope you understand, and I hope that this post has cleared up a few things for you.

Now it’s time to return to the blogging game. I admit that I am not 100% sure about coming back this soon, but I also know that if I don’t do it now, I will probably never come back, so I made a choice to return in April so that I wouldn’t become too comfortable in a life without this happy space. There are still things I need to figure out of course, both in blogging and in my personal life, but those decisions and ideas will come to me at a later date. For now though, I want to try and do what I can to keep this blog alive whilst leading a happy, healthy life away from it.

And finally, a word to the few who have been awaiting the blogs Awakening: Thank you. I’m sorry it’s been so quiet until now, but it’s time to write again. I hope you enjoy the things that come your way.

Chiima