"Goodbye to the elms, / to the farm, to the dog." - Elizabeth Bishop

"It's not goodbye, it's see you later." - Cab

Once when I'd just moved back to Seattle from Baltimore I went to a party at Tiffany's. I started talking to someone who would later turn into a good friend.* I told Evan that I might want to be a writer. He said, "Don't say that. Just be one. If you are a writer, write." That statement wasn't really profound, but for me, it changed everything. I said to myself, well, okay, if I'm going to write, I might as well write a blog, for practice, and see how it goes. That's short amounts, and no one expects it to be perfect. And I'm going to do it every day.



It didn't happen every day. It happened in fits and starts. I remember the day I got to 50 posts. I was ecstatic. My friend Kirk told me that I should have my own webspace, to get off blogspot. I was freaking out and unsure of what I was doing even with the incredibly easy blogspot, so I told him I'd wait til I got to 200 posts, that if I was still writing at 200 posts, I'd think about it.



So I kept chugging along and realized just last week that I'd written over 600 posts.



It's been a good run, this little blog. I've loved writing, I forget sometimes that people actually read it. It's made me a much better writer, and disciplined me well - I stuck to it.



But there's a season for all good things. For now, with commitments to school, work, people, and one particular canine, this blog's season is ending. There's also a couple writing projects I'd like to move from the back burner to the front one, without burning them. (Where did that saying come from anyway, the on the back burner saying?) I do plan on focusing my need for blog outlet at my other journal blog, Going Awry, with less frequent but more quality (ideally!) posts. Look there for a post about the 2010 word of the year, coming soon!



For now, adios amigos - I had a blast. I hope you enjoyed it.



XOXO,



Gretzky



*This is why you should go to parties. Because very, very rarely, when least expecting it, you will meet someone who speaks the same language, who can speak their truth in a way that makes your lungs inhale a little deeper. This doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it's magic.