Making space.

In May of this year (2026) this blog will have been around for 15 years. Part of me thinks I should start posting again on a regular basis so I can say I reached a 15-year milestone. Part of me knows that would be somewhat false.

Yes, the blog has technically been around for 15 years in May. However, I have not posted regularly for many of those years. So, it feels like a false marker.

What does feel true though, is closing it down.

I’ve thought about this a lot over the past few years. Long-time subscribers will know that my posting frequency comes and goes. Lately it has been gone. There’s so much noise right now. I don’t want to contribute to that with something half-baked, half-thought-out, half-assed. It’s the exact opposite reason of why I started doing this.

Even though I’ve been feeling the pull to close the blog down, I’ve been scared to do so. It’s a hobby. It’s fun (when I have a pipeline and lots of thoughts about what to write). I like that this blog has been with me through multiple moves, jobs, career shifts, school, babies (that aren’t babies any more), and all the other things packed into life. It’s an oddly comforting common thread in my life. And yet, I’m still closing it down.

The content will still exist. These words and the images I drew (when I used to do the drawings) are still mine. The website will switch back to the word press URL, wordpress/ifiweremyownbestfriend (instead of http://www.ifiweremyownbestfriend.com) What a mouthful, right?!?! Couldn’t I have come up with a shorter name I liked?!

If you are a subscriber I have your email (or so they tell me). If I start something new in the future, you’ll receive one email from me, explaining that I used to write the blog, “if I were my own best friend”, and this is my new thing. Then you can choose to opt in for the new adventure (or out).

I’ll think fondly about this friendly and kind little corner of the web. People have been lovely. I think that’s why I’ve stuck around for so long. You all are quite lovely to send messages to on a somewhat random basis. And yet, as I’ve written, I also feel the pull to close it down. Closing it creates space, both mental and temporal. I am deeply curious to see what happens with open space in my life.

So, if I were my own best friend, I’d tell myself to send you all a virtual hug. I’d thank you for being here, whether it was only today or the past (almost) 15 years. And finally, I think it’s time to stop saying if I were my own best friend, and step into the role of being my own best friend. Be brave. Be vulnerable. Make messes. Clean up. Repair. Move forward. Rejoice. Seek connection. Tell people you love them. You miss them. You need them. Learn. Grow. Do it every day. Be your own best friend.