The End of a Blog

Every now and I then I think about when I will stop this blog. I never thought about stopping after graduating law school because I never thought law school defined the story I was telling. But I wonder- will I still be writing in 5 years? 10? What will I have to say that I haven't said before? With a job I can only talk about in an oblique manner and children who are older and deserving of increased privacy, will I have anything to write that people want to read? Do I have some obligation to continue updating? It seems odd to feel a duty to those you've never met, but I know that I wonder and worry about bloggers who have fallen away. I continue to think of them at times and hope they are doing well. I miss sharing in their daily adventures and I occasionally check their old url to see if they've come back.

I know a lot of people stop writing for fear of retribution from their law firms or other employers should they find out an employee is writing a blog that mentions work. I like to think that when done properly, blogging and employment can coexist. I don't want to ignore the fact that I am a full-time attorney, it is a big part of my life and why I want to share it. When I was in law school I found dozens of blogs by law students and law student mothers and they were an invaluable resource for me at that time, but I couldn't find many stories from practicing attorneys. Undoubtedly part of this is the time commitment involved, but there is also a sense that now that you are working you can no longer talk about that major part of your life in any way and that's really too bad. No one in my family had been a professional working woman with a young child, and even though I knew I would find my own way, I longed for more examples of those who were happily and successfully living this life. I think our story is a valuable one and I know that I have gained much by reading the tales of others.

These thoughts were prompted when a blogger friend of mine (you may have seen her on my blog roll on the right, we'll call her "ND" and she was a single mother and public interest lawyer) was forced to take her blog down very suddenly. She wasn't allowed to say goodbye to her readers or offer any explanation as to why her blog suddenly disappeared, and I know she is very sad about this. ND had a unique story to tell and she told it with humor, wit, compassion, and an amazing love for her daughter. Please don't mention the name of her blog in any comments to this post, but should you wish to say goodbye to her, she is reading and would love to hear from you. I know I will greatly miss her presence on the interwebs and hope she continues proving "it can be done" as a single parent with loans on a public-interest salary.

For me, I hope to continue writing until I no longer have anything interesting to say (assuming of course, that half of what I write now is interesting). I hope that any decision to stop writing is my own. I hope to have a chance to say goodbye to you, my wonderful readers who have been through so much with me over the past 2.5 years (See for example Nightmare, The and much of May 2008). In the meantime I hope to give someone like me, pregnant and googling variations "baby and career," a happy, honest example of someone combining both of those things. I think it matters that we working women and parents can share our struggles and successes and I'm very sad that ND will no longer be bringing her unique and frequently hilarious voice to the table. ND, you will be greatly missed in the blogosphere and we wish you all the best.