Never neglect the little things.

“Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that soft word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do. It does not matter what others think, it is of prime importance, however, what you think about you. You can never do your best, which should always be your trademark, if you are cutting corners and shirking responsibilities. You are special. Act it. Never neglect the little things.”

I've been absent from my little blog for a long time - far too long really. And neglect seems to be the overriding theme. Yes, I've clearly neglected this little nook that I've carved out for myself on the Internet, but I actually stopped writing because I felt as if I was neglecting other aspects of my life. So I basically neglected one so that I could stop neglecting the other. Confusing, no?

The holidays were crazy around our house - and they shouldn't have been. There are no children involved, we didn't travel anywhere, and yet, I was still sapped and overly emotional the entire time. I was completely absent from Twitter and blogging as a result of complete lack of time, and it made me think....

Was I neglecting other aspects of my life because of my love of the "on-line" life? It wasn't too far-fetched for me the quickly check Twitter while dining with my husband, or even shuffling through my Google Reader while we were watching a movie. I jumped on links of products that other people loved, sometimes buying an item immediately, but certainly noting it for my next trip to that particular store. I wasn't giving it my best - everyone was getting short-changed, including myself.

I felt like it was being pulled in a million different directions, so I just abandoned it all.

My absence has been good for the most part, but good grief I have come to miss the ladies that I know and love...yes, the Internet may have distracted me from my "real" life, but it has also provided countless friendships, valuable support, trustworthy opinions, and massive amounts of advice on what to buy and for how much - and that, well that's important too. And emails I've received from those of you concerned that my absence was caused by a larger, more serious issues? Thank you. If that doesn't speak volumes about the caliber of people you can meet through blogging, well I don't know what does.

I just need to figure out the balance - I don't need to be accessing what everyone else is saying 24/7, even though I love and value those words. I just need to get a grip.

I haven't figure out HOW yet, but I will....in the meantime, I'm easing back into the lives and opinions of those I adore, because I've missed it! So much.

Thanks for being who you are.