I remember this time, a year ago, thinking how slow time was moving. At 34 weeks pregnant I was certain I’d never see the end. It’s amazing how in a blink, that same girl is now a mom and staring down the reality of having a one year old. Time. It’s a joy and a thief, and I’m not sure how far into life we decided that’s the collective unit of measurement. I think you become more attuned to the sneaky ways life changes you from a kid to an adult once you have a human of your own. The days have surely passed that marked time by wanting to just grow up by one more day to all the intricacies of being said grown up. Then all of a sudden you’re almost back to that child-like sense of time when you see baby hand-prints on glass and wonder to yourself “When was the last time I cleaned that?” Time slowly works itself away from deadlines, weeks until PTO and the oh-my-gosh-we’re-halfway-through-March back to the pace of life through the lens of a child. Now, even though time is as fleeting as it’s always been, I try to not notice or pay it much attention. If I think too much about it, I will find myself in tears thinking about how Hank’s 6 teeth-and-counting smile used to be the gummy one the filled my heart – and I can’t blame pregnancy/postpartum hormones anymore!

Before Hank, I never really focused on the days I’d never get back. It just didn’t contextualize for me in a way that made me change any sorts of my behavior or outlook on life. Then BOOM you have a baby and I don’t know why God packed so many milestones in that first year! In the beginning it was a sad and haunting feeling – he’ll never be one week old ever again <insert tears>. I’ve since pulled it together, ha, but it’s put into perspective how much lack of structure around time I’ve really had. I want to embrace time, I want to be present and purposeful and not be sad about time passing because I was fully there. I had to take an objective look at my life and what takes up the most about of said time and reshape my life so the things that are most important get the time it deserves. And with that realization, this blog was (re)born.

See, in college, as a way to cope with the ending of an era, I’d started a blog to slow down my thoughts and process what was happening. One moment, or several rather, you know exactly what’s going to come the next day, month, and year with subtle nuance. The cycle includes school, sports seasons, the blink of a summer, repeat. Then one day you’re a week from your college graduation and you realize, that’s it. Now what? And honestly I think that’s still one of life’s greatest mysteries. But the further I got into what adult life was supposed to look like, time was allocated to other activities and interests and the blog was put away. I’m kind of glad that it did truthfully. I can see how it could’ve morphed into something that would’ve been inauthentic. Social media then, isn’t what it is today, and I might’ve let my voice be changed or overshadowed during a season of life where you’re dealing with a lot of growth and a LOT of insecurity. Instead, I’m glad there was a time for pause where I could come back with a love and passion for word and writing all while knowing it will be authentically me.

My hope in this endeavor is multifaceted. For starters, social media in my life has run its course. There’s nothing more heart crushing than seeing your 10 month old looking over and yelling for attention because you’re buried in your phone. That was a sobering moment. Although I do see some good in it’s functionality, it’s daily use will be put to bed. I know there are friends and family who use social media as a point of connection, and instead of doing away from that entirely, I’m offering up long form written content into my life and my families. This will be the place to see Hank grow and know what the Harty’s are up to! Of course there will still be moments curated onto the Instagram and Facebook feed, but if you want to know us, truly know us, this will be the place to go. I’ve pretty much sat here typing with a small smile tucked into the corner of my cheeks and I’m proud of myself for finally making space for something that fills me with so much joy.

In trying to decide a name for this blog, I finally landed on “Be Harty, Always”. In a version of the Bible I’ve NEVER heard of, one of the translations of 2 Corinthians 5:6 says, “Therefore we be hardy always.” But the translation that really drew me to utilizing this verse says this: “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.“ There’s a lot of context and text unwritten here, but ultimately Paul is saying that through courage we do not have to be worried for afraid – nothing that matters will be taken from us, and everything that matters will be given to us. I liked the parallel of knowing that this will be a written account of our lives here on earth walking in the things that matter, and that also means living a life of courage (and hardiness). And yeah, I liked the pun, too.

ANH.