One year ago today SophieMaeJames.com was born. Launched. Published. Shoved down your throats. Whichever adjective you choose, it happened 365 days ago today.
I had just gone through one of the hardest weeks of my life and had an urge to share. Share my story with the good ole World Wide Web. Not for attention, not for sympathy but to allow me to tell my story, my way, once and for all. While I am an open book, telling certain life events over and over again gets exhausting. And emotionally draining, a draining you only know once you’ve been through it.
For me, I don’t believe things are real until I either say them out loud or write them down. It’s the way my brain works. So for the past 52 weeks, you all, this page has been my sounding board. I’ve posted the good, the bad and the ugly. And you know what? Every time I hit the little button that says “publish” I get butterflies. I second guess myself.
Is this okay to say?
Will, it offends anyone?
Does it sound too needy? Too desperate?
All of these things go through my head. But time and time again I keep hitting publish. Regardless of the answers to those questions because at the end of the day, this blog is for me. A timeline of my trials, tribulations, and emotions. I heard a quote on one of my favorite podcast, shoutout @KaitlynBristowe, and @offthevinepodcast. Kaitlyn had Sarah Nicole from the @thebirdspapaya (Instagram name) on the podcast. I had never heard of @thebirdspapaya before, but at one point, Sarah was talking about how when she is getting ready to post something on Instagram she knows it’s going to be a good post because she gets butterflies. Sarah said those butterflies are because she knows it’s a vulnerable topic. Making it that much more important to talk about. — Can we all give this lady standing applause, because YAAASSS, that is precisely how I feel? How we all should feel. No topic should be “taboo”, we should feel free to talk about anything and everything we need to if it helps us.
Which brings me back to my goal. My goal when I started this blog was to be raw, honest, connect with people outside of my circle and maybe, just maybe make someone else’s day a little better. Maybe I could do that by making them laugh, or make them feel less alone. Or even give someone, somewhere, something to read while they are pooping. (Don’t lie, we all do it.) However, if I’m honest, I never expected any of that to happened. I knew (or thought I knew) that my reality would be five readers; myself, my mom (Hi Mom, thanks for loving me and being my biggest cheerleader) and a few of my close friends. But holy sh!t I was wrong.
SMJ has been read 5,453 times, in a mind-boggling 42 different countries, with over 3,270 active readers. Excuse me what?
When I was looking up these numbers my jaw dropped. I will probably never be one of those bloggers that make money off their blog, in the rare chance I am, I’ll straight up take a bow. And probably cry tears of joy, as a board my plane on a sponsored trip somewhere 😂. I kid, but for real, to me, a self-proclaimed basic bitch blogger, with numbers like that, I’m astonished. I’m thankful.
Thankful to all the friends, acquaintances, strangers who have reached out. To those of you silent readers who take time out of your equally busy lives to read my words. To those diehard readers, who comment, message, like and share SMJ. THANK YOU, from the bottom of my broken, put back together, full of joy, love, optimism, and profanity spoken heart. You guys are amazing. I am no better, or more special than you. Just a bit crazier to share my outlandish, comedic, sometimes sad times with you.
Nursing school has definitely shifted my focus and I’m writing much less, but please, please stay with me. I promise I’ll always return. Some weeks more than others but I will always return.
** After talking to a few friends last night, they mentioned how they didn’t even realize I was still blogging, due to facebook’s always changing algorithm. To help with that, you can now subscribe to my blog right from this page! Below I have attached a screenshot of how to sign up to get my most recent post, directly to your e-mail.
I swear never to spam you, this link is strictly to keep you in the LOOP with all new post here at SMJ. And trust me, by signing up you will not miss the funny upcoming post that I am putting the finishing touches on now. Stories like the time I transported bodily fluids, in my bra to a doctors appointment, or what about when I threw up on the radiology tech because she did not listen to me.
THESE ARE THINGS YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS OUT ON.
Find the “NEVER MISS A POST” section. It is either one of three options.
1) Directly to the right of this post
2) On the right sidebar near the bottom, after all my pretty Instagram pictures
3) All the way at the bottom of the page when looking on a cell phone or tablet.
Wow, yes, time flies! That was a “quick” year! 😉 Congrats! Always enjoy reading your blog…you are the brave one who unashamedly puts it all out there. In a culture where many/most? only post their best selves, it’s refreshing to be reminded that it’s still okay to be human. Thanks for sharing your life and your heart!