Wednesday, June 22, 2016

The End

As I announced on June 7, it was my intention to end this blog when it passed 200,000 page views. This is a purely arbitrary line in the ink, but there is a certain logic to it. The time has now come to go. I thank those who have passed this way over the past decade.



Things in my own life have developed in such a way that I have decided to turn my time and energies to other things. Other responsibilities beckon, other adventures await. It has been a pleasure to keep this blog. No doubt it will be a pleasure to move on, although I will miss this and you.

Some kind souls have asked me, via comments and personal emails, to continue the blog in some occasional form. I am flattered and moved by the things they said. And I am tempted to respond positively to such requests. On the other hand, I have been blogging for a dozen years now. At one point, I was keeping four blogs going at the same time, each from a different perspective. In Dodd We Trust is in its tenth year. On this blog alone, I have posted almost 4,000 entries. Altogether I estimate I have written well over 5,000 entries as a blogger, while also publishing six books, a number of articles and doing free-lance editing and translation work. Oh, yeah, most of that time I had a full time job, too. 

As my Spanish-speaking friends would say, "¡Basta ya!" Enough already!

I will not take the blog down for some time, if ever. (I regret removing my earliest blog, Damien's Spot, in particular. I know that the internet is supposed to be forever, but I don't know where in the internet to find it.) Perhaps this iteration of my blogging efforts will remain for someone to stumble upon someday, and it will flash briefly again into life, to perplex or to amuse for a moment. So be it.

In a week or so, I will disable comments. Those already posted will remain.

It is not winter here in the northern hemisphere, just turning summer in fact. I intend to draw no comparison to the classic Calvin and Hobbes. But I like the way that strip ended: 

  Click on image to enlarge for easier reading.

May all be well with you. May you be happy and at peace. May your friends be many, your joys lasting and your sufferings fleeting. May you be light in darkness. And may you continue exploring your world which is new every day. 
  
Verily.

And goodbye.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

No words- Just tears.

It's been a pleasure.

xx Sunny

Anonymous said...

I am so glad you have been in my life.
Kato

Bob said...

I will say that I always enjoyed stopping by here to see what was shown, and read what was written.

Good luck, and have fun, exploring!

mess said...

Bye......

Anonymous said...

Change is integral to life but it`s difficult to accept, particularly losing contact with friends, the which you are for me. But, as I wrote in a previous comment, your decision is understandable.

Bless you,

Roderick

Moving with Mitchell said...

Wishing you all the best wherever your life takes you next. I am so glad I got to experience your wisdom, wit, and decency!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing.Your thoughts. Your transitions. Yourself.

My comments have been few. I can't remember how I found you, but I think it had to
do with retirement blog searching. My contributions have been few. A couple of simple
recipes when you were at odds and ends last winter and that's it.

I was sad to read the other week that Tom's diagnosis but encourage you to make the most of time. My grandfather had it, back in the day and while he managed until he was 80, the years from 802 to 85 were difficult for him. So seize the day, and the decade and by then some new treatment might appear that prolongs quality years.

Paul

Anonymous said...

I am so glad you have been in my life. You have made a difference. I especially like how you seem so mindful of your choices. And your compassion and positive outlook.

Beginnings and endings. Thank you for doing this ending well. Thank you for leaving your blog up.

Michael, I really hope and pray the post-blog stage of your journey goes well.

As well as your words of wisdom I'm going to miss your thought provoking images.
Kato

Ur-spo said...

I am sad.
I have to be supportive and say farewell, but for selfish reasons I am sad to see it/you go. I stop by regularly; I always enjoy your entries.
thank you for all you did here.

Lavada said...

I just cant get used to not reading IDWT every morning. Old habits die hard. I watch your blog go further and further down the line of my BlogStalker list on my blog and it's just depressing.

I think I speak for everyone when I say-
We miss you, Michael. It's just not the same since you left.

Anonymous said...

I miss you.
Kato

Michael Dodd said...

I appreciate the kind words that people have posted in the comments or in personal emails since the concluding post went up.

Today I am disabling comments to the blog as the final step in letting go of In Dodd We Trust. Already-published comments will remain visible.
I recently ran across this quote: “There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go.”
Like so many things that are true, it brought tears to my eyes.
It’s been lovely. You have been lovely.

Thank you.