A hat tip to Mali, whose post "2016: Looking back on the blog" has inspired me to do the same for the past several years. Also to Mel, whose Crème de la Crème lists from 2007 to 2012 prompted me & other bloggers to review our posts from the year past & pick out our favourites to share. (There was a list in 2006 too, but that was before I started my blog.) If the Crème de la Crème list still existed, one of these posts would probably be the one I would have submitted. :) )
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2025 was not as prolific in blogging terms as the past several years have been. 2021 was my best year ever in terms of numbers of posts (213). I ended the year with 132 posts, the fewest since 2016, when I published 133 posts.
That's (still) an average of 11 posts per month (one fewer than my average 12 of the past few years). My least-chatty month was July, with 6 posts. My most verbose was September, with 15 (thanks in large part to daily posts during World Childless Week 2025! lol) Not bad, especially after 18+ years of blogging!
I don't check my blog stats very often, but I had a look at the ones for the past 12 months (which now includes part of January), and (as of today), I had 1.76 million views (!) 71,000+ views and 185 comments this year (page views more than doubled over last year (!), but comments were down). As I noted in this post from September, I suspect that huge spike in views was due more to some kind of bot activity than actual eyes on screens. :p
The top-viewed post of 2025 that was written/posted IN 2025 -- was this "odds & ends" post from Sept. 2nd, with 431 views to date. (Not sure what was so attractive about it??
In addition to posts about or related to childless/free issues or other adoption/loss/infertility issues, I tried to do a "Right now" post at the beginning of each month, participated in 38 #MicroblogMondays this year, and reviewed all 38 books that I read in 2025.
I also wrote a lot about other things going on in my life, including aging, retirement, memories of the past, being an auntie & great-auntie, and condo living. There were lots of "odds & ends" posts, passing along and/or commenting on news items, blog & Substack posts and podcasts, etc. (usually ALI-related) that piqued my interest,.as well as lists of recent "small pleasures & annoying things." I stopped doing monthly pandemic updates in my Right Now posts in May, and mostly stopped masking by summertime. Which is not to say that covid isn't still out there...!
Normally, I would choose a few favourite/noteworthy posts from the past year to highlight here -- but in the interests of time and getting this (finally!) published, I'm going to skip that this time around. (Did any of you have a favourite or memorable post from here this past year?)
>Did any of you have a favourite or memorable post from here this past year?
ReplyDeleteI know you aren't usually fond of criticism and don't always take it well, but since you asked if we had a favorite or memorable post this year, I feel I should be honest.
I’ve been a loyal reader for many years and have always admired your voice. However, I’ve noticed lately that the blog reads repetitive and superficial. It feels like a diary of minor daily details and a collection of brief references to many different articles and books, rather than a deep reflection on a single topic. To be honest, I miss the depth of your earlier years; I’d much rather read one profound post about one thing than a cursory summary of a dozen small things. It often feels like a diary focused on exaggerated mundane things, like making a drama out of a broken water heater, rather than a reflection on important things in life.
I also find the frequent updates about your great-niblings a bit jarring, especially given your (very valid) frustrations with family-centric content on social media. Sometimes you complain that people talk non-stop about their children or grandchildren... and yet you talk about your great-niblings within the same post.
I’m sharing this because I’ve always valued your writing so much (your early work was truly book-worthy) and I’d love to see that more thoughtful, focused style return.
All the best.
Fair points. I will admit I've found it difficult lately to write the longer, more in-depth thought pieces I once did. Partly because my grief is not as acute these days, I think, and also because I sometimes feel like I've already covered the same territory in past posts (sometimes several times over) and that I'm repeating myself (although I realize that more recent readers may not have seen them). I do like to pass on links to the good/interesting stuff I read, even if I don't have the time or inclination at that moment to expand on them.
DeleteThanks for your thoughts.
Dear Lori, I have been reading your blog for more than ten years now and I love it just the way it is. I appreciate it so much that you share so much from your everyday life with us. It helps me a lot to see how you navigate your life without children and for me also the mundane things are interesting! I like hearing about your family and grand-nibblings. Please don’t hold back. If I am not in the mood for reading about children and babies I could always skip those parts. Thank you for blogging, I am always looking forward to a new post from you. Many greetings from Germany, Annette
ReplyDeleteThanks, Annette! :)
DeleteThe comment neglects the obvious - that as we age, and move on, the fact we don't have children is less a focus of our lives, and our lives just become the focus, as yours has on your blog. I think that actually shows people that we do heal, and find joy and fulfilment in our lives without kids, as well as deal with the inevitable hard features of ageing. Your blog is real and it is honest. I'm sure it gives hope to many who are following in your footsteps.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I am also very grateful too for the way you catalogue a lot of the childless writings, review books and articles for us. And I love Right Now - so much so that (as you know) I copied it! ;-)
Thanks, Mali! :)
DeleteMali, I think you’ve missed my point. This isn’t about the topics being discussed, nor is it about the natural shift in focus that comes with aging. As I mentioned, my concern isn't what is being written, but how it is being written.
DeleteWhat I'm noticing is a shift in the form: a move away from those slow, deep, and thoughtful reflections that defined this blog for years, towards hurried, superficial lists covering multiple topics at once.
I also understand the urge to defend Lori. I’ve been a loyal reader of her blog for 15 (?) years and I deeply appreciate her work too. However, there’s no need to 'defend' her here. I’m not attacking her; I am simply providing an honest answer to the very question she posed on her own blog.
Hi Loribeth. I still read and value your blog which I found originally when waiting (for nearly five years) for our adoptive daughter. It often makes me think. Sometimes I perceive your frustration and feel empathic about wanting to travel, for instance. BTW we are visiting Canada in summer and wondered if you might be up meeting up for a coffee irl if times work?!
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, thanks for reading. Thanks for the offer of coffee. I'm afraid I can't make any commitments for the summer, as I'll be back & forth to see my dad a lot (for reasons you'll understand if you've read my last few posts). I hope you have a good trip. :)
DeleteI only found your blog today. Sometimes it is good to change things, but it sounds to me like people like things the way they are, and if you continue the way you have been, people will appreciate you and you will help them.
ReplyDeleteI wish you good health and happiness 😊 Warm greetings from a retired lady living in Montreal, Canada ❤️ 😊 🇨🇦