Nancy’s Point Summer blog hop 2020

Nancy runs her Summer blog hop every year & I’m joining in this year. It’s inspired me to sit at my keyboard and write again.

1. Who are you? Tell us whatever you want about you and your blog.

I’m Juliet & live in Hertfordshire. I grow cut flowers in my garden and love walking with my two whippets – Sid & Stan. I blog about my life as a woman living without breasts, following my breast cancer diagnosis and second mastectomy. And also about flowers. I started blogging in 2018 and writing has been a creative way for me to express my emotions and explain my decisions. I blog to raise the visibility of women who choose to live flat and to show that it’s a positive choice after mastectomy. My hope is that it will encourage other women going through this that they are not alone.

2. What has been your biggest blogging challenge during this pandemic, and how have you been tackling it (or trying to)?

My biggest challenge is not being able to blog as much as I wanted to. I’ve written one blog during the pandemic and that’s been about my passion – flowers. After initially being upset and frustrated about my lack of words I decided to lean into it and accept the situation. During the pandemic, I’ve been writing in my journal every morning. I started my journal back in January and never thought that i’d be writing through a pandemic. Its very different to blogging as for me its a massive mind dump – I write exactly what comes out of my head. I write by hand rather than on a keyboard. So my writing hasn’t stopped, rather its changed and moved from a screen to a page.

3. What is something you’ve accomplished with your blog that you’re most proud of?

I’m really proud that my blog has helped other women in a similar situation to me to see that living flat is a positive choice. I’ve had feedback from many women telling me that my writing resonates with them and from some who tell me that I’ve helped them with their treatment choices. Blooming Cancer has increased the visibility and representation of flat women and allowed everyone to see that flat women are beautiful.

4. Share two of your best blogging tips.

• Start – just do it.
• Be brave and vulnerable in your writing.

5. What is one of your blogging goals this year?

One of my goals was to set myself goals! That hasn’t happened yet. I’d like to write more regularly and include more flowers. That may mean that I change the direction of my blog. Perhaps to include guest bloggers or different subjects. I want to look forward rather than backwards.

6. When things get hard, what keeps you blogging, even if not regularly?

The knowledge that my writing can have a profound effect on other women’s lives and choices if they can find the blog.

7. What is a dream you have for your blog?

That it reaches people who haven’t had breast cancer or who don’t know anyone who has had breast cancer. I had never seen or heard of anyone living without breasts. If I had then I wouldn’t have felt so alone and unaware of my choices when faced with mastectomy. 1 in 7 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK. If a partner, mother, aunt, or daughter has seen my photos and read my words then maybe they’ll recall that if they or someone close to them is diagnosed… and they’ll know that staying flat is a positive choice.

8. Share a link to a favourite post you’ve written that you want more people to read.

Choices, choices, choices

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