It is often the case that this blog looms over me like a disgruntled parent. Yes, I do love writing and I enjoy my stints of novice journalism. At the same time, I’ve set such high expectations for posting regularly that the slightest miss of an entry leaves me reeling with pain and discomfort. Since January 1st (of this year) I committed myself to writing 5 entries a week. Ideally these posts would occur Monday through Friday. But this simple proposition has become a growing pain in the arse.

If you haven’t noticed already, I’d like to use this opportunity to rant a bit, maybe even “journal” here on the blog. Every time I miss a post I get all hot and bothered by the pressure of writing two the next day. And so on and so forth. At some point soon I need to determine a reasonable number for myself. I fear that without a set goal, I may become like many other bloggers and never blog. There are too many distractions to consider and sometimes, too few ideas to write about.

All the while, my various food projects have taken root and have begun to grow opportunities outside my blogging life. Do I write about these other projects? I should but I don’t. Lately it feels like I strive to keep a balance of the blog’s content. I think this ideal hints at an important weakness to this blog. Sometimes I think the blog lacks direction, lacks a focus. I don’t want to write about food I make at home nor do I want to report on the infinite news topics in the food sphere. Maybe this inability to focus reflects my own role in the food world. In the attempt to find a place for myself, I am not pinned down to any one issue or perspective. This is both a blessing and a curse.

Speaking of curses, I have also pigeon-holed myself with the weekly menu. To me, this is the cornerstone of the blog. This is why it all started. I wanted to show other people how to afford healthy and sustainably-sourced foods on a reasonable budget. The weekly menu post was intended to serve as a starting point for our meal planning process. And I think it has served this purpose to some degree. That said, it also looms over me like a disgruntled parent.

Of all my concerns, I am most distressed when I slack on the weekly menu. I think yesterday’s absence is my third so far. Not bad but not an excuse for me. The real problem is this: my partner and I plan together and sometimes this might not happen till Saturday. Or I plan ahead and post the idea I put together and then it alters when she joins me at the writing block. A more recent challenge has been the second phase of the elimination diet. It was easy to plan with everything gone. It is far more difficult to plan with 2 introductions a week, spaced 2-3 days apart.

The variables have intensified and the planning is far more difficult than before all this crazy dieting stuff. Throw social events in the mix and we have ourselves a real obtuse situation. To put this in perspective, today is Saturday and I still have no idea what we will eat next week. With some friends visiting this week it’s all the more unnerving to not know what I’ll have for dinner, lunch and breakfast.

All of this said, I must also mention the weather. I began the blog last fall and spent the autumn and winter typing away on the computer. But now the sun has returned and the warmer weather in suit. Given the last 3 days of excellent outdoor fun, I am certain that my 5-post-a-week goal is insurmountable. Therefore, let it be known that 5 posts a week is a goal; but 3 a week will be the minimum. The weekly menu will remain a bedrock for the blog and that leaves me at least 2 other entries on anything else that strikes my fancy.

Maybe when I’m rich and famous and every post I write is consumed by tens of thousands of adoring fans, I’ll feel more pressure to proliferate my food-obsessed prose. For now, I’m still under pressure from myself and the expectation of writing daily. I want to write weekly; I want to write well and I want to cover important content. All of my expectations must face a reality check:

This blog is a hobby. It is a pleasure, a source of stability and continuity. This is not a test or a job. I am not graded nor judged by anyone other than myself. I must write for the sake of writing, for the sake of sharing.

Related posts:

1. Expectations (weekly menu 22)
2. New Voices on Good Man Eats
3. Walking the Talk (weekly menu 16)
4. Meal Planning Guide – Your’s for only $5!
5. Blogger’s Block (or) Why I Have Not Posted Lately

Tags: weekly menu