Changes: New Blog Title and Look, Same Focus

Sometimes, it's just time for a change.  To shake things off.

A new beginning (see posting January 5: "the last few years expanding the horizons" which talks about new beginnings).

Maybe a metal roof (see post on January 2 "What Lies Ahead" which explains the analogy of the metal roof).

Or just perhaps, a little bit of both.

For some reason even though I've recently lost a volunteer position which was very important to me and meaningful on my road to recovery, after the initial shock, I've felt hopeful.  More than hopeful.  Expectant.

Something good, something new, something better is coming along.

Since the workplace bullying ended badly in 2011, I've come a long way on the journey of recovery.  Many changes, good ones, have happened.

I'm not the same person I was then.

*****

Years ago, long before 2011, I set up this blog.  I called it Ramblings of a Deranged Mind because I wanted a cute title.  In the beginning, when I first set it up I wanted to showcase my writing style.  I wanted to write about weird and wacky things in my life.  But for some reason I kept putting it off and off and off.

I'm really good at procrastination.

Finally in 2012, I started writing.  I was by then in the chronic phase of the aftermath of workplace abuse.  I was struggling.  In a lot of ways.  Physically especially.  Also emotionally.  Spiritually, though, was another matter.  I never lost my faith in a God who loves me.  Who cares about me.  Who knows me intimately and still loves me.

I started the blog postings when I was still near the beginning of this chronic phase.  I really didn't have a focus at the time.

Later, in 2013 I took a Blogging course sponsored by Writers Digest.  I learned many things.  the most important of which was to have a focus.  My focus became my journey with workplace abuse and the subsequent recovery which I was already mostly focussing on with side trips elsewhere for diversion.

Later, I went to a writers' conference and took a seminar by Sheila Gregoire who writes the blog "To Love, Honor and Vacuum" about blogging.  I gleaned quite a bit of useful information from this seminar.  She talked about the need to post regularly so your following would know when to expect a post form you.  As you notice, she also had a cute title.  She said she has learned that we should forego the cute titles and come up with something that would reflect our focus.  Notice that word focus again.  She said that she had not changed her title because she had quite a following and didn't want to confuse them.

I thought on these things.  And thought and thought and thought.

As I've noted before, I'm quite good at procrastination.  Maybe too good.

I wasn't ready to let go of the Ramblings ... yet.

*****

My focus has been and continues to be recovery.  However, recovery, at least in my life, goes forward, backward, backward, backward, forward, inside out and upside down depending on what is happening. 

It's simply not predictable.

Recently, I've had some good things happening, some good stories to share which are happening on my road to recovery.

I also feel ready to share the story of what happened in the workplace causing the damage and the damage itself.  

I've come far enough on the road to recovery that I'm able to think of that time without bitterness, without anger.  It happened.  It's over.  I'm at a point where I'm moving on.  I'm still not sure of the direction but whatever it is, I'm going there.

It's hard, almost impossible for the onlooker, the bystander, to understand what a person targeted for bullying is going through be they friend, relative, workmate or supervisor.  Because of that, it's not only extremely difficult for people to walk with people like me but for management to deal adequately and effectively with the situation.  This is the reason I feel compelled to tell my story.

*****

Yesterday, I made a change.

The blog has now changed from "The Ramblings of a Deranged Mind" to "On the Road to Recovery" because that is where I am.  That is what this blog is all about.

The narrative at this point in time is focussing on my story of what happened in the workplace, what caused the two back to back stress breakdowns, how the end happened and other things related to that period of time.

But there are some really neat, really positive things happening on my road to recovery which I want to share as well, so the narrative will be broken up at times with postings about current happenings.  Because both are relevant.  Both are necessary.  In order to understand the present, it is necessary to understand the past.

Which is probably why we study history in school.  So we understand what happened in the past and don't repeat it.

As of the beginning of the year, I'm posting three days a week:  Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which I think will be easier than posting five times a week and, hopefully, will allow this blog to be regular and not get sidetracked.

I've also changed the way the blog looks.  Refreshing.

I may change things further in the coming weeks, etc.  Like my picture and profile - if I ever figure out how to do that.

For now I'm filled with a sense of expectancy that something new, something better is around the corner.

I look forward to it.