Bridge the Gap

It feels strange not having documented everything I've been up to over the past few weeks. I don't know where to pick up. The weekend after Kim and Brian's epic visit I retreated to my parents for some quiet time. Then the following weekend I went back to Philly to help celebrate Brian's belated birthday. I even got to meet up with a few other Philadelphians, Veronika and Lisa while I was in town. 

That weekend is when I started to feel especially run down from blogging. I wanted to enjoy the weekend with people instead of feeling pressure to document every waking moment. Whether that was a seasonal, emotional, or hormonal reason I'm not exactly sure. I just knew that I wanted to be present that weekend instead of worrying about how I'm going to format my pictures into posts or when I'm going to use certain outfits or keeping notes on potential writing topics. 

I came to the unavoidable decision that I was going to take last week "off". Even though this blog is supposed to be a hobby, it was beginning to feel like a hassle and a job. I feel a responsibility to churn out a certain level of "work" that I think is expected. I know I put that pressure on myself but if I'm taking the time to write something almost daily, I want it to be worthwhile. At least, that was the thought process.

I wasn't able to keep up with blogging as well as the other day to day things I had to take care of. Nearly everything was taking a back seat to getting my pictures edited and posts written. I had over 1,000 unread posts in my reader, a bedroom of stuff that was overflowing into my living room, and some BIG life decisions that needed to be considered (I can't share those just yet). Basically I needed a breather because I wasn't functioning as a blogger or as a 25 year old single, tea drinking, granola eating, puppy mamma, living in Manhattan. Everyone needs to take a step back once in awhile. 

I couldn't keep up with the schedule I made for myself. I needed to spend more time in the real world. Especially since out of this whole blogging thing came the idea that I needed to embrace life experiences more. That includes my tangible life as well, not just my internet one. That said, I also missed my regular interaction with the blogging community. I wasn't commenting on posts or connecting with people who left me comments like I had in the past. I was bogged down and both aspects of my life were affected. 

So where does that leave me? I love this community and being a part of it has brought so much to my life. At the same time I'm not sure I should be denying my face-to-face relationships because I have to write a post or go out to take pictures. I think it'll be about finding a schedule that works for me, a good balance, because I want to do both, do each well, and bridge the gap between these two very important parts of my life. 

Selima Optique Sunglasses, Scarf from Anthropologie
Saint James Shirt - Cords - Socks - Boots from Madewell 
Pendant Necklace from Clyde's Rebirth

Have any of you dealt with similar problems managing your time? How have you handled balancing real life friendships with maintaining friends in the blogging community? That asked, is there something else you would like to see here? Something you'd like to know from me or hear my thoughts on that I haven't covered yet? I'm open to suggestions on how I can make my blog function better not only for myself but also for YOU, the friends who come to read and share. What about only posting a few times a week? More outfits without the writing? More Scenes posts? Some baking or food related posts? Fill me in. 

Photos by Kim and Brian

And don't forget that I live in NYC! If you're in town for all the fashion week craziness let me know. I know there are a few conferences this week, then probably even more cool things this weekend. Feel free to send me an email or a tweet if you want to meet up at any point!