Mabel’s Labels BlogHer ’10 Contest Entry

Mabel’s Labels is having a cool contest to send one lucky person to Blogher 10 this summer in New York City! 　As a part of Mabel’s Labels BlogHer ’10 Contest, they ask this hypothetical situation:

So Long, Internet

In my younger years, writing and acting were my passion. I lived and breathed the written word. In truth, journalism school killed the creativity of my writing. The reality of life killed my dream of acting.

Getting married and having children changed it all. Changed me and my perspective on life. The responsibility shifted from me to my husband to my children.

Becoming a mother has been the most rewarding, life-changing experience in my life. My proudest moment. My biggest accomplishment. Bigger than landing that role. Bigger than finishing that screenplay. But in the process, I lost a part of myself for a while.

When the challenges of motherhood slapped me in the face, I discovered blogging. Self-publishing. Here is my opportunity to share my thoughts with other women who may have been feeling the same but who were afraid to communicate their true thoughts for fear of shame or unacceptance.

It felt so good to write again. Who cares if noone reads, it’s my form of therapy.

But when I realized that people were actually reading, and not only from Canada but from the U.S. and around the world, I was pleasantly surprised.

Then I discovered a network of other women bloggers, who like me, shared their passion for writing and motherhood on the internet.

Facebook allowed me to reconnect with long lost friends, some of which have now become important in my life again.

Twitter has introduced me to new friends, some of whom I share such a strong connection with, that I am certain will translate to real, non-virtual friendships.

Thank you, internet, for all that you’ve done: reunited me with old friends, introduced me to new ones, renewed my love of writing and given me a forum, and most importantly, you have been my window to the entire world.

Maria Lianos