...

I was going to try to avoid this post. But I suppose I owe some of you amazing and supportive people an explanation for the sudden changes that have occurred here. So here it goes. 

I blog for me, and for my family, and for Damir's family. That's why I created this little space. To better stay in touch, and to provide snippets of our lives for loved ones who are across the world. It has evolved into a place that helps me focus on what's important. I have been able to identify and work through some pretty serious issues with the help of this blog and I have also been able to document one of the best years of my life (after having some pretty miserable ones). I have met and become friends with some magnificent people who I would never have met without this weird online world. I am so grateful for this blog. I really really cherish it. It is priceless to me. 

That being said...it's easy for me to get caught up in the number of comments I get per post, or how many followers I have or whatever...which is absolutely fine - there is nothing wrong with wanting to feel like people actually appreciate what you have to say. And I thank each and every one of my followers for making me feel good. But for me, that's not the purpose of this blog. And since it is such a personal and valuable space to me, I absolutely cannot allow negative, judgmental energy here. I have had enough of that in my life - and I refuse to let it anywhere near me, anymore. (please see this post). 

So rather than stop blogging, I decided to disable comments. Because while I love and appreciate the happy and funny comments, I cannot allow the negative judgmental ones to break my spirit. I know most people will (and have already) told me to ignore it and that it doesn't matter, but I can't let it go. I think this will also help me to be more honest in my writing because I won't be so terrified to open my comments box, worrying that yet again someone has accused me of being insincere. I want this space to remain my haven - my safe place. And I want to continue to blog about life's littlest drops of perfection and to remind myself daily that life is truly beautiful.

And I feel really really good about this decision.

Finally, I want to say that we all use our blogs for different reasons. We all have things going on in our real lives that we don't wish to discuss here - and that we are not obligated to. Think before you comment. And decide whether or not your judgment call (on someone's life who you have never even met or spoken to) is really necessary or appropriate.

Lots of love, always.

***Update: comments have seen been turned back on but are heavily moderated and I am not going to tolerate hate, accusations of insincerity, or any kind of negative energy.