Are Blog Themes Necessary?

 

I’ve heard that a blog should have a theme and every post should relate to that theme.

But I don’t live by one theme.
Or if I do, it’s a series of revolving themes depending on the challenges and delights in my everyday life.
I’ve also heard that the blog should relate to my book. But the truth is, I don’t want to only write about my mother, caregiving, aging, death, and grief. Sure, those topics run through my life, but they are not all of my life.
I haven’t written many blog posts this past year because I didn’t feel I had anything to say. I didn’t want to write about challenges better left to journal entries and I felt I shouldn’t write anything that would violate the privacy of those closest to me.
Another big reason for the sparsity of posts—I’ve been the brunt of vicious and cruel gossip which has followed me around for four years like an ugly stalker lurking in the shadows ready to pounce. Yes, women in their fifties and sixties can be as mean and petty as your worst teenage nightmares.
While the adult me has always understood that their words and actions speak more about them than they do about me, when arrows are flung at you, even if done surreptitiously, they hurt. Wounded and traumatized, I withdrew into myself and reverted to my more introverted ways. This is not where I wished to remain but I needed time to grieve and heal so I could reach out into the world and recreate my life.
I’ve learned a lot about myself through all this and am most proud that I was never angry, only sad. Okay, truth be known, there are times—usually when I’m showering—when my creative mind wanders, shall we say, to unsavory ways to exact revenge. I would never do that but allowing my imagination to run is an entertaining diversion. I may have hurt people along the years of my life, but I have never intentionally harmed another soul, and I do not intend to start now.
These mean women, intent on disrupting and destroying my reputation and life, have inadvertently left me with many gifts, including believing people the first time they show me who they are, a deepened appreciation for my life-long friends, gratitude for the support of my husband, and the importance of living kindly.
I am working on finding my voice again, and when I do, you’ll hear more from me. And maybe there will be a theme.
Until then, if there’s anything you’d like to know, please tell me.