One year into reviving this website, I think it’s time for a short State of Affairs.

In Hiatus Terminus I wrote that I was excited to reclaim my space and to focus more on my journey rather than passively consume what others are doing. I’m happy to say that I’m still excited and that having a space to focus on me and my journey feels like a good thing.

Oh there’s plenty I whish would be different on my personal website. No backlog is linkable though, it lies entirely in my mind. I wish I had a search function, a slicker design, a more effective navigation, a few meta pages and on and on. But that’s okay, it’s good that these unchecked todos do not stop me from publishing and that I actually keep my own digital space alive. I think I can be proud of that.

Early after the revival, I’ve setup a weekly job to automatically publish any content I’d have prepared. That made things smoother and gave me structure. I know that on Monday at 3pm it’s triggered and if I want anything new to be seen, I have to git push at some point.

I’ve pushed rather consistently and that’s what I’m striving for. The cron job is an effective nudge for me to achieve that. One post once a week. That’s a pace I feel like I can sustain. Of course, some weeks I wonder what to push or feel that all the things I’ve started are in no way ready or need a lot more of time to be worked on. This too is okay, it’s part of the process. It’s not always crystal clear what I’ll deem worthy to share. And it’s okay too to share something short or half polished. The Notes section serves well that purpose.

Suma sumarum, I enjoyed this first year and I don’t plan to stop here. I wonder whether I want to get more personal, there’s parts of my life I’ve never felt eager to post about online. Yet, when I read other blogs I do like, I recognize that what makes it a nice read to me is often when it’s getting personal. Do we call that the human connection? I still have to figure out.

The Bernese have this word “Stöckli” which is the smaller home you’ll see next to the Farmhouses on the land around where I live. It’s where the aging parents would move to when the younger generation takes over the farming activities. That way, the older generation stays connected to the family and keep enjoying the place they are most familiar with while staying mostly independent. It’s the place where I imagine the grandkids go, to spend time with Grösu and Grosi, to create early life fond memories. I like to think in that way about my little shed here, my personal website is where I want to keep documenting things I’ve noticed, to exercise, to hone, to contemplate. A happy place next to where the bigger business is.

Happy Hacking to me!