A Post About Nothing At All (And Some Surfing)

I always see posts that begin with, “Hey guys, you might have noticed I’ve been away, but nothing much was happening, so I didn’t have anything to blog about. But now I’m back!!! Aren’t you excited?!”

And then I keep seeing posts that go, “Five Blogging Tips for Newbies/Influencers/Growth Hacking! One: Don’t start your posts stating you were away (no one noticed) or that you have nothing to say (no one cares).”

I’ve also seen the posts that prompt you to write about your daily life if nothing else comes to mind – surely there must be something noteworthy you can think of!

Well, I’m going to start this post off by admitting that I have absolutely nothing to say. But I feel pressured to write something nevertheless – anything, really – because the new block editor is just around the corner and once that happens, I’m not sure you’ll be reading much from me.

I simply don’t have the time, energy or patience to learn how this complex monster of an editor works. Talk about making simple things complicated! I’m feeling intimidated.

So, in case you don’t hear from me for a while, it’s probably the editor’s fault.

(As if I’d been posting regularly all this time – I’ve been the queen of irregularity when it comes to posting! But it’s always a good idea to blame someone else. Growth hack number two.)

And so my post begins. Because I have no idea what to write, I’m taking a look backwards. Actually, Amanda’s excellent post gave me the idea to look back.

I thought I’d check if I’d posted something on my blog on this exact date at some point of my blog’s existence. Lo and behold, I found two such posts: May 22, 2017 and 2016. Scrolling my monthly archives, I realised to my utter shock that I’d actually been posting almost daily back then!

Most of the bloggers in the comment sections of these two posts are no longer in my blogosphere and I have no idea what happened to them. Manja’s familiar face is present, offering comfort. Thank you, Manja.

Of the two posts, I decided to have a closer look at the older one, posted in 2016 about a trip that happened in 2010. Oh my, I tend to get a bit nostalgic, don’t I?

The post was a photo report of when I shortly visited the Triple Crown of Surfing in Oahu, and that seems quite an odd coincidence because I had, in fact, just been talking about surfing with Véro yesterday. I think I even mentioned this very event.

Now I swear I don’t usually spend my time thinking about this comparatively short stop at a surfing contest that happened a decade ago. But do you know that phenomenon where you randomly remember an old school friend who you haven’t seen since you were 12, and then the next day that very person walks by on the street?

Looking back at the post now, it all seems a bit pointless – not the trip or the event, but posting about it. I was basically just reciting what I did that day, which isn’t very interesting, is it? Maybe I wanted to show the world those photos, I can’t remember. Maybe it was nostalgia.

Most probably nostalgia.

And blogging about my meager 4-week trip to Hawaii obviously now reminds me of the blogger Graham who I’ve had the pleasure of comment-chatting with lately and who actually lives there and blogs about it regularly. His blog brings some Hawaii into my day. Right now, in 2020.

And then it hits me: although I did plenty of Hawaii posts back in 2016, I haven’t actually gone through all of my Hawaii pictures to see if there’s something there that I could still post. Something I missed. A gem left out, calling to me from my digital photo album. A gem with a grain of sand stuck in the lens.

So, for old times’ sake, here’s a pointless photo post.

Maybe next time I’ll do the same for another trip – with a shorter intro!!! – if the new editor allows me.

Learning to use a new editor is almost like learning to blog again. Back to the basics.

Take care!