On November 6, I turned 45. In December, Leah’s Thoughts will be 11 years old. That means I’ve been writing this blog since I was 34! That’s crazy to me, and to think about my life then and now, and how much it’s changed.
In November 2009, I was living in San Diego and working at San Diego State University. I was married and the young mother of a 2-year-old daughter. I didn’t run and led a sedentary life. I was searching … although I didn’t know it at the time, nor did I know what I was searching for.
And here I am today, living in a small town in Indiana. I’m divorced. Sophie is 13 years old. Casey is the only pet that was with me then and is still with me today. I make a living working for myself. I’m a freelance, published writer. I’m a runner and 40 pounds lighter, and have physical and mental strength I didn’t believe was possible of myself. These last two years, I have changed as a person and so much in my life has changed.
That being said, the one thing that’s been consistent in these last 11 years is my love of words and my desire to write and share my story. This blog was born because I was ready to have a voice and I was searching for something … something that would allow me to change and grow and express myself. This blog has carried me through these last 11 years, and allowed me to use my words to discover myself (even when I didn’t know that’s what I was doing). The tone of this blog and the depth of my writing has changed over the years, but the writing and my desire to share my story has never wavered.
Since we’re nearing the end of 2020, and this has been a year of excruciating change, now seems like the perfect time for this relaunch.
So today, I welcome you to my new corner of the world!
Let me tell you a little bit about this new site and why I love it. First off, it’s not only my blog, but it’s also my writing website and portfolio. Previously, I had the Leah’s Thoughts blog and I was maintaining a Leah R. Singer writing website. Now there is one website; this one. And it encompasses everything on both sites.
The home page is mainly recent blog posts and they’re organized by the subjects I write most about … running, writing, midlife, motherhood, moving to the middle, marriage/divorce/friendship. And every time I publish a new post, it will be front and center at the top. There’s also a Leah’s Thoughts page that has all of my blog posts from the last 11 years in chronological order (and a menu at the bottom that organizes the posts by month and year).
I’ve also added my writing offerings and portfolio to this website. You can see my Portfolio that includes the places I’ve published and clients I’ve worked with, as well a Testimonials page. Under the “Work With Leah” menu tab, you’ll find my Writing and Content Services, Classes and Workshops, Coaching and Consulting, and Frequently Asked Questions.
And I’m really excited to announce a new project I’m launching in 2021: Weekly Writing Video Lessons and Prompt Club for adults and a Kids Writing Club.
Those new programs won’t start until January, but you can sign up now (or sign your kids up) so you don’t miss anything.
Moving 11 years worth of content (600 blog posts!) was NOT an easy project! I have to thank Linh Tang of Beyond Ideas who made this possible. I’ve known Linh for many, many years and he’s one of the few creatives I’ve worked with who knows what I want without me needing to spend countless hours explaining it. I can say to Linh, “I just need something that’s going to highlight all my various content and combine my websites …” and he shows up with the perfect template to meet my needs. I’ve used Linh for all my personal website projects and for every client that hires me to create their website. He is the best web developer and strategist I’ve worked with.
I also want to thank you all for reading Leah’s Thoughts. Some of you have been reading my blog since day one. Some of you just found me recently. And some of you have taken the time to go back and read all my posts just to get to know me. Whether you’ve been here from the beginning or just recently become a fan of my content, I can’t tell you how much you mean to me.
I’m so excited because I feel like this new blog/website encompasses who I am today. As much as some of these old posts make me cringe, I would never get rid of all the content I’ve written because they all made up the person I’ve become.
We can’t count on much in this life. But what I know for sure is I can always count on the power of words and writing to move me … whether it’s an essay or article, Instagram post, poem, song, book, movie, television show, or even a text message or thoughtful email … words can and do change lives. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to share mine.