A milestone and a celebration

One thing the youngest child of every family learns to do perfectly is to await her turn. And so it is in the OM household. My third and youngest baby has been waiting patiently for her birthday celebrations.

Obsessivemom turned TEN this month!!

Imagine that!! One whole decade of blogging.

The celebrations are late by a week or so, but with the craziness at home I am just happy I got the month right.
People generally celebrate blogversaries by talking about how the blog has progressed over the years, how the number of followers has grown, the views skyrocketed, the Alexa numbers improved. But I have none of those. I’m not being humble, though I am a humble person, generally. What I am not, is a numbers person – numbers don’t register with me much.
However, what the blog has given me is quite priceless and I’ll say this gladly – it is way beyond numbers.
Over the years I have found I can say things here that I cannot otherwise. And I can say it with a fair amount of clarity and conviction (I still maintain I am a humble person). As I write and read back and edit and write again I find my head clearing up. Why I find it easier to talk to relative strangers while clamming up sometimes even at one-on-ones with friends, I have no idea. Perhaps it is the anonymity that frees me from the fear of being judged. It’s another matter that, over the years, much of the anonymity has vanished and many of you have turned dear friends. For that I can only be grateful.
It has been my conscious decision to keep things as positive as possible here on the blog. People close to me will know that life is way more chaotic than what it seems here, that I am not quite as patient and level headed as I might appear here. The things I laugh at in my posts have often driven me to distraction or even made me break down when I am in the middle of them. And yet the fact that I can laugh at them, that I can make light of my often over-the-top reactions, even if it is later, is what makes life good.
And when you guys drop by here and say ‘it happened to me too’ or ‘my kid did that too’ or  ‘O My God you survived that!’ it does wonders for me.
Then there are days when despite my resolve, the worries spill out here and then when I hear you say ‘it shall be alright’ or ‘you’re doing fine’ or ‘the kids will be okay’ it helps. It helps because I begin to believe it a little bit. And that is where I begin to win – because believing is half the battle won, right?
So thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here. I hope you guys are still there when I’m old and foggy and all I write about is the decadent ways of the new generation,  the cataract bugging my eyes and my most amazing grandchildren.
Linking up Mackenzie at Reflections from Me. She’s decoding true happiness in this post and says true happiness comes from loving yourself. Do drop by and take a read.

And also with Mel at  Microblog Mondays where she talks of goodbyes.
                                               

57 Replies to “A milestone and a celebration”

  1. I'm very late to read and comment here, but I didn't want to miss adding my big Congratulations and Hugs to you Tulika. I read your blogs more than I comment, and I love the way your voice comes through in this space. Keep blogging and here's to decades and decades more :)!!

  2. Congratulations Tullika! That's calls for celebrations! **hands over a glass of bubbly

    cheers!

    It's true how the blog becomes becomes an extension of you, allowing you space to vent, share, cry, laugh, or simply mull over something till the head is clear! It's been great to keep coming over here and relating to your experiences, sometimes comparing notes, and learning,(what with two boys on this side too!) and overall having fun connecting with you. So here's wishing you many more years of blogging OM! Cheers again!

  3. As usual I am late by a week in joining the 10th birthday celebrations of obsessive mom but I am here since I believe 'der sahi andher nahin' hehehe. On a serious note I got to know you last year and since Jan this year, this BM finds a lot of similarities with the OM. I love reading your sojourns. I get to peek into my future life's possibilities and trust me I will be around to read the children's adult issues and also the cataract bugs. Cheers to 10s of coming years.

    1. I think a lot of mums are similar in their happinesses and worries and that is why we connect. Love having you over Anamika. Will be good to have you around writing about Dhruv in his teens.

  4. Congrats on 10 years! Amazing. I love your blog and it's a positive place for me. I know what you mean about numbers. The followers, the views are not as important as the connections we make. Right?
    Here's to 10 more! 🙂

    1. Absolutely right. But then it depends on every individual's blogging goal and that might be different for different people.

  5. Congratulations, I can't believe I only discovered what blogging was 2 years ago! I have missed a whole world! I am so glad I have found it now and couldn't imagine life without my blog and my blogging friends. I feel so honoured that you linked this up with me at #mg! I am so thrilled for you, it is an amazing achievement!

  6. Oh Tulika, thats amazing!! congratulations to you and your wonderful blog – I always enjoy reading your obsessive mom tales:-) Keep rocking my friend

    1. Thanks Corinne. Yeah I've thought about it but the technical bit is a huge hurdle for me. Maybe I will just do it one of these days. Thanks for the nudge.

  7. Wow! 10 years!! That's pretty awesome!!! Here's wishing you many many more glorious years of blogging and sharing. Must tell you that I simply love reading you here coz all that you share here comes all comes from the heart. Keep rocking and keep smiling. Cheers ♥

  8. Woohoooo ten years… Congratulations on reaching the milestone… It is always a pleasure to come here and read your tales… And how you manage those situations. Comments do wonder to my mood too… Sometimes i go back and read comments on old posts just to feel good. It's wonderful to see how strangers become friends. 🙂

  9. Congratulations Tulika!! 10 amazing get years! Wow! Whenever I come to your blog I feel so much warmth…keep writing and spread smiles! Love!

  10. First of all a huge bow to you…10 years is a long time….to be consistently putting out learnings for the other parents is a huge social service…i am very happy to have discovered your blog and you can be rest assured that I will reading your posts with the same zeal nodding away on your opinions about the younger generation….all the very best to you Tulika!

    1. Thanks Gowri I love your comments because they always come straight from the heart. So this is special. I have to add though that I don;t write with any altruistic motive – generally I am just sharing my doubts and learnings. We are all growing together as parents.

  11. Such a heartfelt post it is Tulika! Congratulations for completing a decade with your blog and it sure calls for celebration, it sure is a big deal. And I am glad to have known you and have a touch with you on social media!

    And sure there is a long way to go!

    Cheers
    Geets

  12. Congratulations, Tulika for the ten years of blogging! What an accomplishment! I like how you chose to reflect on this occasion, I particularly like the paragraph where you speak of your conscious choice for what you want this blog space to be despite certain harsh realities of life. Keep writing and spreading positivity.

    1. Thank you Beloo. It helps to have clarity of purpose when you blog or else you get involved in too many things and end up unhappy and dissatisfied.

  13. Yay, Tulika! And to think I've known you for most of these ten years? Amazing. Love the blog header photo! So festive. 🙂 Keep writing and charming us. Hugs!

    1. Yes you have. In fact when I first went on indiblogger some three years after starting the blog you were one of the first few people I bumped into. I had no idea the blogging world was so huge and so organised back then. It does seem such a long long time ago. Thanks Vidya.

  14. Congratulations Tulika! What an amazing milestone. I love reading your posts and as a person who has interacted with you personally and professionally I can unequivocally state that you are as calm and humble and level headed as you appear in your writing. You are an inspiration to me and the simplicity and clarity with which you write sometimes astonishes me. All the best and cheers!

    1. If you worked with me you must have known the other me – the one before the kids :-). They change you, you know. And how! But thanks very much for the generous praise.

  15. Heartiest congratulations, Tulika. I absolutely love your musings. I also agree with what you say about finding kinship and support through the blog. It is the same for me. Many people cannot understand how we can share so much with strangers. But they will not understand the succour it provides us. When people rally around or tell you that life will be fine, you actually believe it will be. Parenting is such a crazy journey. It becomes slightly bearable when we share with our virtual friends. Here's to many more decades.

    1. Thanks Rachna. Yeah many times people just don't get how crucial this support from the virtual community can be. Just so glad to have found all of you.

  16. You are among my favourite blogs to read and among my favourite people to be around. So very happy for you, the blog and for you coming into my life. Much love and many congratulations for the decade and may you keep blogging for many years to come.

    1. Thank you Shailaja. It's completely mutual, and you know that. It is because of you and the people at the BAR that blogging has been one of the happiest things in my life.

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