My blog turns 2! (Part 1 of commemorative)

YEAH ME!

This time I did not forget the anniversary of my blog, unlike last year when I nearly did!

And this time, since it’s the second anniversary, I’m going to write not one but two commemorative posts!

You know, it still amazes me how I’ve persisted this long. While two years may seem like a drop in the ocean of time, especially when you think of other milestones in life like surviving college, building a career, or saving for your first car, I think it’s definitely a milestone I have every right to sing about with pride.

To have blogged for 24 months straight is no mean feat. In fact, this is now looking less and less like some leisurely passing phase, and more and more like a life-long passion project.

Yes, the first seven months or so might have been slow (like three-to-four-posts-a-month slow). But since January 2020, I’ve been faithfully blogging at least twice every week.

Awesome right?

I even added a new element last November: weekly poetry writing! Of course, I must be honest; those ditties can’t really be called poetry, so I call them “My Monday Metrical Musings” instead. Cos (you guessed it!), they’re uploaded every Monday.

And I even started reviewing books and films I enjoyed, and which resonated with the four themes of my blog.

These themes have been my blog’s cornerstone content since the beginning. Every Saturday, I blog on the themes of Autism and Parenting; every Wednesday, Writing and Life.

Now as I stand at the cusp of my next two and (hopefully) more years of blogging, I’m confident there’s no lack of things to learn and share here as I move forward.

So to celebrate this happy anniversary, let’s revisit two of those themes today and why I strongly believe they have longevity on my blog. (Next week in Part 2 of this commemorative, I’ll touch on the other two themes)

Ready?

1. Autism blog

From the start, autism was the inspiration for this blog site; or I should say, my moderately autistic son C was.

Without him, I would never have understood how sheltered I had been and how little I knew of his “unseen world”. A world inhabited by those like C, with invisible disabilities but visible needs for love and inclusion.

A world where dwells many folks I used to ignore or didn’t know existed.

For if I’m dead honest, I’ve been guilty in my past for joining ignorant, “evil scoffers”, who took potshots at people who talked/dressed/behaved differently. To these denigrates (and me) I now say, “Shame on you! Grow up and do better!”

But I refuse to view my misguided past as proof I should hide under a rock in shame and remorse. In fact, it is with this hindsight that I now feel I must make up for lost time. I must help advocate for my son and others like him to be accepted and included in society. And to do so together with other like-minded caregivers in similar or more challenging circumstances.

Most of all, to try and “walk my talk”.

So my awareness, acceptance, and advocacy for autism and other special needs must evolve in tandem with my son’s continued growth and development.

Meaning I’ll have more to learn, share and advocate for in the coming years.

And by extension, more to blog about.

2. Parenting blog

Next up is my ongoing journey as a parent, which is arguably the world’s longest and most challenging lesson. Meaning that, just like autism, I’ve no shortage of stuff to blog about!

In particular, my decision some three years ago to stop full-time work and go freelance in order to be a stay-home dad has placed me in the rawest and most vulnerable of positions to make mistakes and learn from them.

If ever there was an adventure for a father, this would surely qualify!

Especially when we live in a world that still views fatherhood and masculinity in “outdoorsy, bring-home-the-bacon” terms.

You’re not a father if you’re not
– the main breadwinner;
– the king of your castle;
– the head honcho in your household;
– calling the shots with your wife and kids.

You’re not a man if you’re not
– the DIY fix-it guy;
– “wearing the pants”;
– toughing it out no matter the odds;
– shedding blood, only tears.

See the insidious pattern of destructive thinking entrenched for millennia?! Any wonder history is replete with examples of flawed fathers (both famous and fictional), who were never around when they were most needed?

I had one, and I suspect you might have too.

So to defy HIStory, I must continue chronicling my raw and unfinished journey as a father and a parent for many more posts to come. As a counterpoint to those horrid narratives aforementioned, and to figure this whole business out as I go along.

Or die trying!

And having figured it out (or more likely, not!), amass and bequeath whatever humble experience I’ve gotten unto these blog posts as gifts to my sons and other fathers-to-be who care to listen.

Before I belly-up!

Still with me? Great!

Come back here again in a week’s time for Part 2 of this commemorative alright?

That’s when I run through my other two blog themes and where I see them going in the years ahead.

Can’t wait!

Meantime, let me say it again: YEAH ME!

(*super big grin*)