I had been wondering why I am doing this. This “blogging” thing.

Why am I spending money on business cards and websites?

Why do I wonder about my Google analytics and what people think?

Why did I wake up in the middle of the night wondering about my blog name?

Maybe I was nuts. That might be the most logical assumption.

Maybe I took my blog seriously. That would be a rationale assumption.

Yet, I never considered my blog my job. I had a part-time job with a national non-profit where I could be my bad-ass-legal-self while I juggled my son in between calls, deadlines, playgroups, groceries and laundry.

Thus for over a year, my website, my tweets and my Facebook posts were done when I could squeeze it in, and only when I could squeeze it in, because I did it without pay. I had no ads on my website. I rarely had to post a disclaimer about payment. Sure, I got a product or two from some great companies, but most of the companies or products I wrote about, I did so on my own.

However, it started to get harder and harder for me to juggle my family and my job, with my work on CharleneChronicles. It started to feel like mile 20 of a 26.2 mile marathon. A well-known Blogger could sense my frustration and told me to chill out. I then began to wonder if it was all worth it. My life, career and experience was in health care and health law. Not social media and PR. I felt like I was trying to make the cheer-leading squad and could not do a cartwheel even if my life depended on it.

Yet, the perfect storm soon transpired. Around the time I was about to ease off CharleneChronicles, I got a phone call telling me I was laid off. For the first time in my life, I was unemployed. Kinda like being sidelined with running injury that you did not know was coming.

Since I had never planned on being a stay-at-home Mom, I found my new unemployed role to be unsettling. I am used to working. I have been working since I was 13 years old and even earlier if you count babysitting gigs as real employment. I am also used to work challenges outside of my challenges as a Mom. For the first time in my life, I had no idea where I was headed and I emotionally hurt. Wouldn’t you if you ran straight into a brick wall?

As I pondered, I also continued writing. Sharing a story, an event or a product on my blog. It was then I realized that my blog may be my answer.

I love being able to share a new product I stumble across. I love sifting and sorting through various event websites, and sharing the “best of the best” events in Metrowest Massachusetts and beyond. I love the challenges of doing a video blog or finding inspiration for my blog posts. It is a passion that I did not know I had.

I don’t know if I will be any good at it, but I aspire to be and that is enough for now. While I have found the Blogsphere to be harsh at times, so was law school. I survived that and I can survive the social media snoot too. Yet, I am also grateful for those Tweeters, Bloggers and social media mavens who gave me free advice and support. Thankful to those companies that gave me a chance. Just like I had spent countless hours guiding new lawyers and doing pro-bono legal work for free over the years, it humbles me that in this environment, some others lend a helping hand too. I look forward to giving back and showing that giving me a chance is worth it.

I am now at the verge of starting a new road race or perhaps a nice training run. While I can’t charge my lawyer-ly $200 a hour fee, I am looking to changing my site design to offer advertising and other ventures to pay the bills.  So while this is a new course, I still have the basic training to start running.

Ready, set, go.

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