This Blog Has Moved to fromtheeditr.com

As of today, this blog will move down the street to WordPress because this one has been hacked and robbed of all posts in 2016 and 2015 (more than 1,200) with no solution available to retrieve them.

My strong suspicion is that a former friend who had access to the blog erased the two years of posts in an act of spite and anger. I forgive her, but will admit the loss is painful--especially the posts that dealt with my young friend Sarabeth Hammond, who died in late December, and posts dealing with my grandkids. I have managed to retrieve many of them, thanks to another good friend, Arnette Crocker, bless her heart.

I now have a website, fromtheeditr.com, that is host for the same blog as this, though it has a different look. Content will not change; I'll still write pretty much what I want and shoot a lot of photos. Those of you who like this blog will like the new one. And those who don't ... well, go somewhere else.

Don't Look Back in Regret: Get Busy!

No. 6: Being scared to do things.

Facebook friend Sonya Chappelear posted a longer version of the following (here) this morning and I liked it, so I thought I'd run it by you in its basic form (without the running commentary; you can provide your own).

It's 37 things you could regret in old age, unless you do them and it's good advice for anybody. You can rearrange the numbers to reflect your particular values (I would put No. 37 first, for example).

1. Not traveling when you had the chance.
2. Not learning another language.
3. Staying in a bad relationship.
4. Forgoing sunscreen.
5. Missing the chance to see your favorite musicians.
6. Being scared to do things.
7. Failing to make physical fitness a priority.
8. Letting yourself be defined by gender roles.
9. Not quitting a terrible job.
10. Not trying harder in school.
11. Not realizing how beautiful you were.
12. Being afraid to say “I love you.”
13. Not listening to your parents' advice.
14. Spending your youth self-absorbed.
15. Caring too much about what other people think.
16. Supporting others’ dreams over your own.
18. Holding grudges, especially with those you love.
19. Not standing up for yourself.
20. Not volunteering enough.
21. Neglecting your teeth.
22. Missing the chance to ask your grandparents questions before they die.
23. Working too much.
24. Not learning how to cook one awesome meal.
25. Not stopping enough to appreciate the moment.
26. Failing to finish what you start.
27. Never mastering one awesome party trick.
28. Letting yourself be defined by cultural expectations.
29. Refusing to let friendships run their course.
30. Not playing with your kids enough.
31. Never taking a big risk (especially in love).
32. Not taking the time to develop contacts and network.
33. Worrying too much.
34. Getting caught up in needless drama.
35. Not spending enough time with loved ones.
36. Never performing in front of others.
37. Not being grateful sooner.

(Photo: theodysseyonline.com)

Another Year of My Blog Is Erased

You will note that this is my first blog post since Dec. 31, 2014, although that is far from true. I wrote well over 1,000 posts in the time since then, but every post from Jan. 1, 2015 until yesterday is gone and there simply is no way to retrieve them.

That, for me, is like losing a detailed journal of my life and Blogger, which hosts this blog, is completely unresponsive to queries or complaints. It offers no explanation and no way to replace the lost blog posts. I expect my entire 8.5 years of posts will soon be lost. That's well over 4,500 blog posts, millions of words, thousands of photos all gone.

I have made the mistake of using this blog as an archive, one I will not continue to make. I will now set up a website, one I can control and one whose administrator will be a good friend who has web abilities (and a business doing it).

Don't trust Blogger. It will break your heart.