One thing that venturing into blogging has done for me, is the exposure to a plethora of beautiful, interesting and smart folks that I get to interact with such as Anna. I’ve followed Anna for some time now and one thing that strikes me is the conscientious effort, thought through information, and research that goes into her brilliant posts.

I’ve hinted to her that she has a wealth of experience that she can tap into and create a practical self-help handbook for Diabetes patients, from the standpoint of a person living with Diabetes. Well, we’ll just have to wait and see what time brings. Anna also happens to be one of my strategic partners in this place which in small words means a lot of support to me.

Thank you, Anna,for allowing me to poke my nose into your life a little 🙂

• A brief introduction of yourself

Hi, my name is Anna; I’ve been a WordPress blogger for a year and a half now.  I was born & raised in what is Ukraine now; back in the day, it was USSR.  I have lived in the USA for a few decades. I am divorced and have two wonderful daughters; both graduated from OSU and live in Columbus, Ohio area.  Now I am happily divorced, although it wasn’t this way from the beginning.  But it is now; I’ve come a long way.

I have worked in the nursing field in both the old country and here in the USA.  Now that I am retired and on disability, I am trying to adjust to the changes in the scenery, so to speak, as well as to the studio living.  Things are so different when you don’t work anymore.

I like traveling, seeing sights, trying new food and meeting new people.  I dislike it when people have attitudes but generally get along with most everyone.  I enjoy being independent and take care of everything myself, DIY, crafts, selling on eBay, mastering my photo taking skills, and of course, writing.

• Tell us about your blog and your purpose for starting it. How would you describe it? Did you have any set goals in mind when you were setting up your blog? What do you think about the blogging phenomenon itself?

I’ve been thinking about starting my blog for a while now.  Before that, I kept a diary but this was like writing in a vacuum.  I craved the audience, the comments, the feedback, the constructive criticism, and the whole nine yards to help me get on the right track.  What finally prompted me to start blogging, was a major life event when I was diagnosed with diabetes.  Initially, I was in shock but when this passed, I decided that the time has come to start blogging and registered with the WordPress.  The rest is the history.  

I have grown to be a big fan of blogging.  It helps to learn new things as well as thinking in a new way and sharing all this with my readers.  Spreading awareness when necessary.  Improving my writing skills which comes with practice.   I believe in the power of blogging, and love to capture life moments through printed words.  I derive satisfaction from knowing that my blogging articles provide help and inspiration.

•  What has your blogging experience been like? Here, you can share some links of your top posts or blog posts that you particularly like with us.

Most of my posts are about type 2 diabetes, its complications. and related issues.  Prior to publishing a post, I always do a research on the subject.  Besides, I strive to write in a simple language that is easy to understand for those who are not in the healthcare field  and will avoid complicated medical terminology whenever possible.   

For example, last year I have blogged about describing Morning Highs which is a blood sugar spike that can occur in the morning hours to those having diabetes.   My goal was to demonstrate a connection between blood sugar levels and sleeping patterns.  I conducted a self-study that lasted a few days and involved checking blood sugar more often than I usually do as well as waking up in the middle of the night, then go back to sleep and up again in a few hours.  Keeping up with this sleeping pattern was inconvenient, to say the least, but I was determined to continue for the sake of my experiment.  Over a period of several days, I was able to establish a pattern that I graphed on Excel and included in my post.

https://comeinsitdown.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/my-self-study-of-morning-highs/

• How do you motivate yourself to keep the blog going?

I have set up a folder on my computer, titled Unpublished.  It contains blogging ideas that I come across or happen to think about every once in a while.  This serves as a reminder of what I have to post and is a great motivator. I keep adding to it on nearly a daily basis so it becomes a long-term goal.  Pretty similar to what Obama calls rhymes-with-bucket list.  

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/em-and-lo/why-everyone-needs-a-rhymes-with-bucket-list_b_7156196.html

In addition, the feedback or comments from my readers are invaluable and present a great source of motivation as well as continuous learning.  Recently, a follower has requested that I write about sleep disorders, and I sure did. Here’s my first post on the subject.  https://comeinsitdown.wordpress.com/2016/09/23/five-stages-of-sleep-and-what-affects-them/   More to follow.  

• What’s your most challenging moment in your blogging journey so far?

Realizing that exposing certain details of my life on a large blogging platform that WordPress is, makes me vulnerable.  There is always a possibility of being misunderstood or labeled.  But I am a doer and not a quitter.  

•  Would you encourage others to blog?

Absolutely.  Blogging has lots of benefits to it.  It is a great way to voice your opinion and learn in the process while building your writing strength.  The more blogs you write, the more confidence you build to eventually be able to discuss them verbally.  

Last but not least, you can eventually start making money from blogging.  What can be better than working from home while doing what you enjoy?  You can blog in your pajamas.  

As Katherine Graham once said, “To love what you do and feel that it matters — how could anything be more fun?”

• Take us with you on a typical day spent with you. Show us a bit of your World and yes we love photos of your pets if you’ve got any.

In my typical day, I do some driving around, grocery shopping, visit with friends, take photos or just walk in the street.  At home, I read books, listen to music, and watch videos whether from YouTube or my own DVDs.  After having “cut the cord”, no more cable TV.  Chores, cooking etc.  Then if one of my items is sold on eBay, will pack and ship it.   And of course, writing.  Or just sit there and do nothing.

• What’s the next pit-stop for your blog’s outreach and publishing?  Any plans in the offing? You can also share some of your published works here.

I am still in the process of further polishing and improving my writing skills, especially working on writing introductions.  A good introduction is an integral part of a well-written blog.   

Once I am through with that, will likely consider hosting my blog, to enable it see more of the wide world and further expand the circle of my readers.