Goodbye, Avoiding Atrophy (And Hello...?)

BOOBS.

Sorry about that. I was having trouble figuring out how to start this post, so rather than play the type-and-delete game that I've been playing for the last half hour, I decided to just shout out a silly word to get things rolling. Warning: if at any point I start hesitating throughout writing this post, I may shout it again. It's the twelve-year-old in me, and I hope she lives forever.

Anyway, the reason why I am struggling so much with the start of this post is because -- Man, I guess I'll just come right out and say it -- it's my last one.

(I'm just going to let that sink in for a minute before I dig into what it really means. As I'm sure you can imagine, though, this won't all be bad news.)

Yes, this is the last post I will ever write for Avoiding Atrophy. I've been blogging on this site for over four years now, ever since I graduated college and embarked on the journey that is adulthood.

When I started out, I looked like this:

Now, I look like this:

Obviously, time has been quite kind to me.

I mean, really kind, actually. This weird little corner of the Internet that I've created here has been one of my life's biggest, happiest surprises. I started it out thinking, "Hey, my mom and various friends might want to know what I'm up to. Plus, I have thoughts and I would like to put them somewhere."

But it became so-ho-ho much more than that. Through this blog, I've been able to do some wildly cool stuff. I've traveled, launched a writing career, and of course, connected with some of the best humans I could ever imagine (and not to brag, but I can imagine some pretty great humans. Like, for instance, a guy named Neil who wears fun sweaters and always has butterscotch candies in his pockets. You get the idea).

So why oh why would I ever want to leave this place that has been so good to me over the last four years?

You may have already started speculating wildly about the answer to this question.

Is she dying?
Is she pregnant? 
Is she under some sort of spell?

None of these are the case (though, admit it, you thought I was pregnant). The truth is I'm healthy, I drank two glasses of wine last night, and as far as I can tell, I have not been bewitched in any way.

No, the reason I am leaving the world of Avoiding Atrophy is because I've got...plans.

Plans that --

Well...

AH BOOBS OKAY HERE GOES NOTHIN --

Get this, y'all: I am launching a BRAND. NEW. SITE!

Yep, totally new. New title. New focus. New look. New ev-er-y-thang.

But why? Why switch things up? 

As I'm sure you can imagine there are many reasons. I could list them all here for you now, but really, they all boil down to one major truth: it's just time.

Through blogging on Avoiding Atrophy, I have written on a vast array of topics, and while that has always been a joyful thing for me, it's also been somewhat limiting. When you can write about anything, sometimes it's hard to know where to focus your energies. That's why your teachers in school always gave you a writing prompt so that you didn't just drool on a page for thirty minutes.

That said, I'm ready to hone in on just a few subjects I really care about, things that I can regularly commit to so that my readers always have something new to put into their brain-boxes.

But even more than that, I've got plans to make something really special. Starting December 1st, you will be able to join me over at christyoshoney.com (yes, apparently you can just name a website after yourself! This is news to me too!) where I will be dishing out unconventional wisdom for unconventional individuals who want to grow in creativity and confidence. Here's what I mean by that:

Cre.a.tiv.i.ty (noun): The way in which you use your gorgeous brain to look at the world just a little bit differently. This often results in the development of something inspiring, amazing, and just really damn cool.

Con.fi.dence (noun): That warm, glowy feeling in the pit of your stomach that tells you, "Yes, you've got this. Even though you put your sweater on inside-out and backwards today, you've still got this. Now go be amazing."

I'm writing for people who have both of these things in spades but who perhaps don't always realize it. Somehow these qualities got buried deep down inside their guts, and they just need some tools to help dig em out.

I want to provide these tools. 

This new site will be a place for people who tend to be turned off by typical self-help methods, people who get a little queasy when they come across cliches like "Live, Laugh, Love" or "If God brings you to it, he'll bring you through it!" It will be a place to get all of the helpful advice and goodness that we all need packaged in a way that won't make you sick.

In many ways, it's going to be sort of like Avoiding Atrophy PLUS. Same weird lady (me). Same bizarre writing voice PLUS actionable lessons that will help your life explode into a fireworks display of confidence, creativity, and joy.

Doesn't that sound fun? I think so.

That said, if any of this is resonating with you, and if you think you'd like to stay on this journey that is Christy O'Shoney writing stuff and releasing it to the world, here's the deal:

In the weeks leading up to December 1st, I'll be sending out updates and goodies straight to my subscriber's inboxes (in a totally non-annoying way, I promise). As we prepare to launch this thing, that will be the #1 way to keep up with the haps with this new site. If in the meantime you want to continue hearing from me and be the first to know when christyoshoney.com goes live (or you know, if you just want to be a friend and show your solidarity), go ahead and click the button below:

While I'm so excited for this move, obviously I'd be lying if I said I wasn't totally freaked out too. All of the expected questions are racing through my mind: What if nobody shows up? What if this is a legit horrible idea? What if all of my fingers fall off and I can't write anymore?

But here's the comfort I have: you. All of you. Over the years, the people who have visited this blog have been some of the most generous, hilarious, and frankly enjoyable folks in the world. Whenever you leave a comment or give a shoutout on Twitter, I sneak over to your profiles and websites, and I am just floored by all of your brilliance, kindness, and zest for life. So if you guys stick with me, I think I'll be just fine.

And that leads me to my obvious conclusion: Thank you. Thank you so much. I just never can believe the support I've received here. From my family, my community, and all of the friends I have made along the way -- I still can't believe you guys show up to read the things I write, and I feel luckier than I can even express. 

And now, as I step away from this place, I'd like to conclude with some thoughts from my first ever post on this here blog:

We could choose to pursue life with a boldness and determination that we always dreamed we would or we could sit, lie, wait, and let our muscles atrophy until we don't even resemble human. For me, I choose the former.

Thanks for making the difficult choice to avoid atrophy with me over the past four years.

Let's keep it up.

Boobs, 

Christy O'Shoney

Pssst PS: If you want to reach out to me in the meantime, feel free to shoot me an email to hello@christyoshoney.com or follow along and give me a shout on Twitter or Instagram. Oh, and here's one more chance to sign up for that mailing list I told you about: