Hello and goodbye

For a long time I didn't think this day would ever come. I thought I'd still be doing this in my sixties, happily opening up my trusty Blogger website and sharing my thoughts in this beloved space.

Alas, here we are. 

The title of this post may be alarming in light of my latest Instagram post where I told you guys that I'm currently in a depression, so let me hasten to add that I'm saying goodbye to the blog, nothing else. I'm not giving up that easily!

But it's true: this will be my last blog post. After 9 years, 1142 published posts, many epiphanies and growth and connecting and a ton of fun, I'm gently taking off my blogger hat. There is no big, earth-shattering reason for it. It simply feels like this journey has come to its natural end. 

This blog has meant a lot to me. It helped me find out some important things about myself, big and small: that I'm an introvert, that I really like clothes, that we all are more alike than we think we are. 

I've shared my insecurities, my doubts and fears, and you have come through magnificently: with love, support, advice and your own stories. I love this community so much and it has been a joy to be a part of it. 

One of the main reasons why I've posted less and less over the last couple of years, and why I'm now putting the blog to rest is a joyous one: it's my book writing! As most of you know, I've published two books so far: my memoir Let's Pretend This is Normal about how heartbreak led me to Canada and the love of my life, and Quit the Hustle, your invitation to do less and kiss perfection goodbye.

Guess what: I wrote a third one! It's my most honest one yet: a raw look at the reality of living with mental illness. Here's the blurb I wrote on my website miriamverheyden.com:

What is it really like living with a mental illness? 

How do you work, cultivate friendships, go on vacation, and simply make it through the week when your brain tells you that you are worthless?

How do you live through dozens of times of being utterly convinced that your husband is dying somewhere, and that your life is over?

And how do your relationships survive when you get regularly swept up by violent rages that make you pick vicious fights with the people you love most?

This book takes you into the flawed brain of someone who's living with anxiety, depression, and PMDD.

It's an intimate look behind the mask of bright smiles and pretending that everything is fine that so many of us with mental illness have mastered so well.

Set in the unprecedented times of the last few years, this work takes the reader through the turbulent events of one healthcare worker’s experience of working through a pandemic, while simultaneously having to deal with the catastrophic wildfires and floods British Columbia experienced. 

It recounts two near-death experiences, mystery illnesses, snowstorms and heat waves, puppies, and drinking through it all in an effort to make it more bearable. 

This book takes you on the wild ride that is surviving and thriving with mental illness. It chronicles in raw detail what happens when you self-medicate with alcohol, and the immense positive changes that occur when you quit; it gently shows you the futility of pretending that one's mental illness doesn't exist; and most importantly of all, it proves that a happy life is possible, no matter the challenges.  

 

I just finished it on July 26, and I submitted it to three different Canadian publishers for consideration. It would be a dream come true to have one of them publish it, but even if that route doesn't work out, this book will be sent out into the world. It's too important a topic not to be read by people who need to know that there is light in the darkness. I am very proud of it.

So no, you haven't read the last of me. Writing is my passion and I will never stop! Writing non-fiction feels a bit like writing blog posts, just really, really long ones 😁

I will keep the blog live for the foreseeable future, maybe forever. It's an important part of me and I like to know that it's living out its days like an old retired horse on a green pasture, happily grazing and lazing in the sun, not worrying about a thing.

I'll keep posting and sharing on Instagram and Facebook, and I'm resurrecting my newsletter. And keep an eye out for my latest book! I'll shout it from the rooftops when I know more about how it will get out into the world. 

It has been an honour and a blast to be here for the past 9 years. Thank you all so very much for everything you have done for me, and a special shoutout to Michelle D, whose comment on this post may very well have saved my husband's life. I will never forget what you did for us. 

Farm Girl out!

Much love, 

Miriam

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