Each year, my blog anniversary is a time for gratitude and hopes for the future, which I also share on my social media. This year is a little different in that I’m on a social media hiatus–I can’t find the mojo to interact regularly–with illnesses in the family and other stressors, I find it necessary to hibernate. I thought January will bring an end to that, but now I’m not so sure. I might take a while longer–and will possibly only interact here on the blog in the interim.
To everyone who has been with me over the years, I thank you–your words of wisdom have informed not just my writing, but also my life. To my oncoming life and blogging, I wait for you, and hone the arts of waiting without expectation, connecting without an agenda, writing without any presence beyond the moment.
Like the stones in the sea in the picture above, I let the seas of time wash around me, and listen to its murmurs of distant land while staying half-buried in the warm, damp sand.
In this new year of no resolutions (because what’s a new year after all but an artificial punctuation to time to which we ascribe imaginary attributes. The new year is no newer than the old, is it now?) I wish you all peace, good health, and the fruition of all your efforts. I’ll be here occasionally, blogging.
What have you done over the new year? Made any new year resolutions? How long have you been blogging? How long have you and I known each other?
This is the first Wednesday of the month post for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. Founded by the Ninja Cap’n Alex J. Cavanaugh, the purpose of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share their fears and insecurities without being judged.
The awesome co-hosts for the posting of the IWSG are Rebecca Douglass,Beth Camp,Liza @ Middle Passages, and Natalie @ Literary Rambles!
My literary crime novels, The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon are on Kindle Unlimited now. Add to Goodreads or snag a copy to make my day ! And if you’d like to read a book outside the series, you can check out You Beneath Your Skin. Find all info about my books on my Amazon page or Linktree.
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Longevity! Persistence. Keep it up – you inspire me. Happy Anniversary.
Congratulations on this milestone!
Many many congratulations 👏
Amazing to think we’ve been blogging for so long! A lot of the time nowadays, if I mention something to someone, I go “oh, I have a blog post about that!” :p
Hi Damyanti – I popped by but never got to comment … as my 17th came up too … and I had a birthday – same day … and Lenny isn’t well – so everything got concatenated … and I’m on a SAD (dark/cold) hindrance mode … fortunately the days are getting longer and lighter. Congratulations and I’ve loved your books – and hope for more anon. I do appreciate your authorly thoughts on the various forms of writing … while I feel like I know Mumbai from your descriptions. Take care and a very happy and successful 2025 – Hilary
Congrats!
Thank you!
Congrats on 17 year blogoversary! Never apologize. We all have things going on in life, and we all need a break. We’ll be here when you are. <3
Thank you, Debby, I really appreciate it!
Congrats on the 17 years, and the novels, and all of it! I love to watch your journey–thanks for letting us in!
Thank you for joining me, and for letting my blog be part of your life!
Wow, that’s 6 years longer than me. Congratulations. I completely understand why you might want to have the odd break from social media. But I would contest your point about time moving faster because we stay in our comfort zones. It doesn’t have to be that way. We can visit places new to us, and learn new things. One of my retirement tasks, for instance, is to teach myself to play the violin (it’s proving a more difficult instrument than the guitar, but I’m getting there). Us old folk often try new things, enrol in adult learning courses. Some people even make use of their retirement to study towards that degree they never got the chance to get when they were young.
Although, I suspect time would still appear to pass more quickly. Ultimately, we can’t escape the advance of age Damyanti, but to quote the captain from the film ‘Galaxy Quest’; “Never give in, never surrender!”
Thank you, and congratulations on 11 years of blogging! You make a good point. I find that I sometimes allow myself to get so engrossed in routine that the wonders of everyday life simply pass me by. Even when I’m travelling or experiencing something new, my mind is distracted by all the things I have to do, all the plans I have waiting in the wings, and I miss out on the moment. Or there are the occasions when I talk myself out of doing something because it’s too far out of my comfort zone. Your method of combatting that is so inspiring — I need to take a leaf or two out of your book!
Wow! That’s quite an accomplishment, Damyanti. It’s been an honor to know you for a good portion of that time. Here’s to many more years, many more books, and many more friendships!
Thank you, Mitch, and same here! I’m so grateful for the lasting connections and memories blogging has brought over the years.
Thank you for sharing a part of your world and congratulations!!.. blogging is a place where on can simply sit down with a cup of tea, relax a bit and let the fingers do the walking while the heart does that talking and share with others a part of ones world, memories and dreams.. 🙂
Hope you have the mostest wonderfulest Happiest New Year ever, your path in life is paved with peace, love and happiness and until we meet again…
May flowers always line your path
and sunshine light your way,
May songbirds serenade your
every step along the way,
May a rainbow run beside you
in a sky that’s always blue,
And may happiness fill your heart
each day your whole life through.
May the sun shine all day long
Everything go right, nothing go wrong
May those you love bring love back to you
And may all the wishes you wish come true
(Irish Saying)
Thank you for taking the time to step into my blogging world, and for spreading positivity and support! Blogging really is such a wonderful outlet for all that is going on in our lives, allowing us to express, explore, connect, and indulge our creativity. I couldn’t be more grateful for the people and community that have enabled me to do so, and who have given my words a place to settle. May your year be filled with only good things!
Dear Damyanti
Congratulation! We wish you many more years of happy blogging.
We blogged for more than 15 years now. First, we had two separate blogs, and after three years, we blogged together on one blog. We do it for fun. It was Kb’s editor who inspired us to blog.
We haven’t made any resolution for 2025. We just enjoy life
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Thank you so much! I plan to keep the blog going for as long as I can — I’d hate to give it up. Congratulations on 15 years and counting! I so admire your approach to blogging, and to life. Wishing you a wonderful 2025.
Blogging is such a beautiful mark of time. Congratulations on 17 years!
I couldn’t agree more. Thank you for stopping by!
Congrats on 17 years. I too feel that blogging has been a shelter from the storm.
Absolutely. Blogging is my safe space, and it’s lovely to hear that you feel the same way. This blog has offered me the freedom to share my life and innermost musings in a way which my books may not be able to fully capture. Where it can be difficult to cram everything one might want to say into a polished and professionally published piece of work, a blog has infinitely fewer limitations and endless possibilities.
Congrats, Damyanti. You’ve had a great run, and I think it makes sense (every year) to reflect on whether change of some sort is in order. Enjoy your break and take all the time you need to consider your next steps. Here’s to another year of book success.
Thank you for the encouragement and the words of wisdom. I’ve gotten so used to stubborn habits and old patterns that it can feel like such a chore to shift gear. But uncomfortable as they may be, changes are necessary and unavoidable. Hopefully this year is full of good ones. Wishing you all the best!
Happy anniversary! That is a long time. It’s been great to be on this journey with you.
Happy Blogging Anniversary! I’m coming up on the first anniversary of my new blog this month (I think, haha). But I’ve known you since I started blogging in 2014. You were actually the first person to comment on my new blog last year as well. I really appreciate that; I don’t get many comments.
That’s so exciting, congratulations! It’s a pleasure to visit your blog, especially when my movie watchlist isn’t as expansive as I would like it to be. Not to mention, I always enjoy a good book review. I’m looking forward to reading more! Thank you so much for stopping by. Wishing you a wonderful 2025, and a great year of blogging to come.
Congratulations and Happy Blog Anniversary! Hope you take the time to care for yourself. We’ll be right here 🌻
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it, and it’s incredible to know that no blog post goes without support. Best wishes for 2025!
Best wishes to you too 🌻
Congratulations Damyanti. And yes, time speeds up as our years count down. I’m anticipating my 69th birthday next month, so I should know. LOL
Thank you and I know it’s much too early, but I hope you have a wonderful birthday! Time goes by so quickly — I stepped out of my usual state of disarray for a moment and realized that January is already half gone.
“an artificial punctuation to time to which we ascribe imaginary attributes.”
Perfectly said. I, too, have backed off but I think it’s because this is an accomplishment I no longer need (as much). Time to move on to other goals, other achievements, other adventures.
Best wishes to you in the not-so-new-to-you year.
Absolutely! Onward to old and new projects, places, friendships, and plenty of experiences. Best wishes to you, too!
Congratulations on 17 years of blogging! Wishing you and your family good health and happiness for 2025!
Thank you, and same to you! I hope 2025 turns out to be a magical year!
Well done, and keep going 🙂
Thank you, Jemima!
Yaay! 17 years!
It’s crazy to think of it!
Well done – 17 years is amazing – keep going 🙂
Thank you, Simon!
Happy Bloggiversary, Damyanti! I am coming up on 12 years in March and have been honored to know you for most of those 12 years. I am with you on taking a break from one of my social media sites, sticking with FB and IG. Even so, there is much more to life, dealing with all of our issues – family, friendships, health, etc. – than spending time with our noses glued to what doesn’t necessarily make us happy or whole. Blogging and my fellow bloggers/friends have been part of the joy in life and although I haven’t been too regular this past year, I can’t imagine not writing or coming across another Damyanti post. I hope for less illness in your family and great things to come for you in the new year.
Thank you, Mary! 12 years is such an accomplishment, and it’s been so lovely to follow along on your blogging journey. We’re definitely of the same mind when it comes to social media — the lesser, the better! I find myself having so much more time and energy to live in the real world when I step out of the virtual one, and minimizing social media screentime has done wonders for my mental health. I don’t think blogging will fade out of my life permanently and I hope to keep it up for as long as I can, just a little more sporadically for now. I’m always grateful to know that you’ll be looking out for my posts when they come! I hope you have a wonderful year, with only good things.
Thank you for the update, Damyanti, as a recent follower of your blog I always enjoy your insights and the way you are prepared to interact with your readers. It’s hard to keep the momentum of regular blogging, I seem to have spurts followed by long periods of nothing. Sometimes that’s due to life asserting its right to take over (and that has been the case in the last couple of months) but often it’s just feeling I haven’t got much to say and/or feeling dispirited about being but a grain of sand in the vast universe that is the internet these days. I’ve just looked back and seen I’ve now been blogging for nearly 12 years, but as I say, it’s been very sporadic. I am trying to use New Year as a push to get me going again, but like you I am reluctant to set resolutions these days, just try to do what I can when I can. But I have been meaning to let you know that I have read and enjoyed You Beneath Your Skin and will leave a review soon. Take care and look after yourself, Damyanti, and I’m sure we haven’t heard the last of you yet!
Thank you so much, Penny, I really appreciate the update! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to reading your review. You Beneath Your Skin was the bowling ball which got me started on my writing journey and I feel like the years since then have just gone by in a blur. As for blogging, I understand what you mean. I’ve had stages of frantic productivity, where it feels as though I can’t type the words out quick enough, interspersed with writing droughts which drive me crazy with blank screens and deleted sentences. All I can say is that it does get better. Like I mentioned to Shilpa, don’t be too hard on yourself. It can feel overwhelming, especially with the nitty gritty of daily life and the flood of content and creators on what seems like every platform, but I think we sometimes overlook just how much we’ve achieved simply by existing. 12 years is incredible, regardless of how sporadic, and I think that should be celebrated! Just trying to do what you can when you can helps to take the pressure off a little, and I hope you know that I’ll be rooting for you. Wishing you all the best!
Thank you Damyanti and for taking the time for such a thoughtful response 🙂
Congratulations, Damyanti! I think we found each other through the A to Z Challenge in 2013. I’m still hoping to have a book published!
Thank you, and wow, what a throwback! Hard to believe that it’s been more than a decade since then. And as for having your book published, I hope so, too! I can’t wait to see what’s to come in your writing future.
Even occasionally offers excellent insights, Damyanti! Thanks for another wonderful update.
That’s so sweet of you to say. Here’s hoping I can live up to the expectations! Thank you for dropping by!
Hey D,
Happy 17th to your blog!
I don’t remember when I visited your blog and fell in love (and awe) with your writing. But I am glad I met you in the real world and ‘connected’ with you, too.
I can understand when you say that blogs today feel like historic artefacts. I wish to blog, too, but it doesn’t come from within my heart. I keep looking for excuses. That is so sad, isn’t it? But the one good thing about blogs is that I met some really wonderful people and writers through blogging. People who are friends despite our blogs having taken a backseat. And, for that I am grateful. I don’t know how long this ‘blog thing’ will last. Maybe like the social media platforms that start fading with time and then disappearing altogether, our blogs too might cease to exist in the virtual world. Maybe we too might forget all about our blogs! But the people we connect with, will stay forever in our hearts. And that’s something to celebrate!
Happy new year to you, D! May 2025 bring peace and good health to you and your world.
Much love!
Happy New Year! Time passes so fast. It’s incredible how blogging can bring people together, and how virtual friendships can turn into real-life connections. Words have such power, so thank you for welcoming mine into your life. I’m sorry to hear that blogging has been a struggle for you — but don’t be too hard on yourself. If it doesn’t feel right at the moment, then there’s absolutely no pressure to post. In this content-driven world, where creatives are often expected to churn out work and burnout has become the norm, stopping to breathe is so important. Of course, I need to heed my own advice more often, but I’ve been taking baby steps. And I hope you get the time you need to rest and come back, whenever you’re ready. Reading your writing is always a pleasure. Calling you a friend, even more so. And like you said, that’s something to celebrate! Have a wonderful 2025 and much love to you, too!
Happy blogiversary!
Thank you!
Congratulations on your 17th Blogiversary and also everything you have accomplished in the publishing world! While blogging has lost some of its popularity, we diehards (16 years for me), will likely keep it going. 🙂 I wish you a less stressful 2025. Do what you must to find comfort and peace of mind. Social media can be exhausting and it’s good to step away now and then. Your online friends and fans will still be there when you return. All the best to you, Damyanti, and thank you for your support over the years!
Thank you, Debbie! I look forward to reading your blog for many years to come, and I’m so grateful that you’ve done the same for me. Here’s to smoother sailing this year (fingers crossed!) and to the friendships and community that blogging brings. I hope 2025 treats you well!
Wow! Damyanti! I started following your blog when I had my travel blog. Your posts were so engaging and helped and accompanied me on many journeys. Now that I’ve committed to writing my novel, I have a new blog (thelotusfeetjourney.com) and its diabolical trying to establish one all over again.
You’ve achieved such a lot, I hope you’re seriously basking in the glow of your many achievements; well done you!
I’m honored! Thank you for your kindness and for letting my words keep you company. Congratulations on your writing, travelling, and blogging adventures! I hope the setting-up of your new blog goes smoothly, and I’m looking forward to stopping by. Wishing you a wonderful year!
Blogs offer a different view of each other. It’s time may be returning. Long-form interviews seem more popular these days–a 30-60-3 hours discussion rather than a five minute quick talk. That is more suited to blogs than other social media.
Yes, I’ve noticed long-form interviews being the recent trend and I can also attest to their appeal, especially when it comes to keeping my brain occupied while on walks or simply as a welcome break from staring at my own work. Of course, quick talks have their purpose and certain advantages, but long interviews have the opportunity to be so much more engaging and informative. It would be interesting to see blogs coming back into popularity, and observe how that might transform the blogging community or even just the experience and expectations of being a blogger.
I so agree!
I finished my second novel and hired a publicist for the first time to help me with marketing and promotion. Speaking of social media, I’ve also started on Substack and Bluesky. And I’ve been writing more haiku and attempting to write flash and microfiction. I’m doing ok with the flash, not so much with the micro. Happy 17th blogging anniversary! That’s a remarkable achievement. I started blogging in 2016, and I’ve lost count of the number of blogs I followed that have gone poof.
Congratulations, that’s incredible! It’s always so exciting when a new book is preparing to be sent out into the world, almost like a chick leaving the nest. Best of luck with the marketing and promotion, and with your foray into other social media platforms. Not to mention all the writing you’ve been doing — we’re only two weeks into January and it already sounds like a busy time for you! Thank you for stopping by, and for your support over the years.
You’re welcome, Damyanti! It’s shaping up to be a very busy year.
Damyanti we all stand in awe of your capacity to write and pour your soul into what you do so you now have an international reputation as an accomplished author. With your success you’ve managed to maintain your love of friends and family. That’s a hard ask when one lives the pressure cooker life you live but you’ve successfully negotiated that. With success comes the need to balance ambition and health so take time to destress at regular intervals as we want to see you enjoy the fruits of your success for many years to come.
That’s so, so lovely of you to say, Ian. Thank you for always stopping by to share your thoughts and offer some encouragement — comments like yours never fail to brighten my day. Balancing health and work is always a juggling act, but I’ve forced myself to realize just how important it is to take breaks (a concept which I somehow managed to sweep out of mind at every opportunity) and create a bit more separation between the personal and professional. I hope you have a fantastic year!
Thank you, Damyanti. I wish you happiness, health and success in 2025.
It was 2010 when I first received likes for my post from you. Even though I am an inconsistent blogger, over a course of time I think we both have acquainted enough with each other’s comments over the posts. I wish you and everyone a happy and prosperous new year. Be safe
And I’m so grateful to have found your blog! Thank you for supporting mine. To think that it’s been 15 years is just incredible — here’s to many more, and a wonderful 2025!
Congratulations on your 17th blog anniversary and on your books Damyanti. It is an amazing accomplishment.
Thank you, Thomas! When I first started, I never would’ve thought that I’d make it to this point.