The End

I have been writing this blog since September 9, 2003.  That's 1198 days, or 3 years, 3 months, and 11 days.  It's more than 170 weeks.  It's longer than the original Scheherazade entertained the Sultan and kept herself alive. 

Including this one, I have written 2665 posts.  Most of those I've published, although a few are just drafts.

You have left 9562 comments so far.  Some of those are spam, and some stung me a little bit, but most of them made me laugh or made me think. 

We've had two birthday parties.  We've played games.  You've seen me happy and sad.  You saw me as a lawyer and as a sailing coach.  You were there when I crashed my car and when my dog lost her leg and when she died.  You stepped in to help when my mast toppled, and that generosity and grace made me cry.  You were there during food poisoning and heartbreak and sadness and still morning walks and rowdy parties and all kinds of things.  You've talked about books and music with me, and we've talked about love and sadness and finding your path.  Some of the things you've said to me, here in front of everyone or privately, by email, have made me gasp and my eyes water with your courage and your honesty.  Thank you for that.  Thanks for the friendly forgiving eyes with which you've witnessed my life.  Thanks for keeping me company as I fumble along trying to figure out my way in the world.

I've made friends through this blog -- some of whom I've gotten to meet in person and many of whom I still hope to have a chance to meet.  I've fallen in love with someone I met through this blog, bizarre as that still seems.

Tomorrow I'll turn 34, and I'll stop posting on this weblog.  I have a present for you, but you have to wait until tomorrow to get it. 

Comments

[Patrick]

Sherry: I have not commented on here in a while. You have probably forgotten all of my emails about opening my own law office over 2 years ago.

I did it. And after I did it, I kept reading your blog and watching your life change, to the extent that I have referred to your life to a number of my friends who are lawyers who have hit a wall with their careers. Many of them did not even know what a blog was until I explained yous to them.

I am going to miss your site. I read it almost every day. You have achieved fame through your site, in the sense that a whole group of people out here feel like we know you and apparently discuss your life even though you don't know us.

Have a great life.

Thank you for putting it all out there for so long.

[Marci]

Say what?

[mlvoelz]

I'm a long-time lurker. I've been reading your blog off and on since 2004. I'm so sorry to see that you are leaving. Thanks for sharing your life online.

Your candid writing has been inspiring and a great way to allow me to re-connect with many of the things I love about the New England area. Wishing you all the best in life! Happy Birthday Sherry!

[Jill]

I hope the present is a link to a new blog you're starting somewhere else! I will miss your voice very much otherwise.

[rcs]

Thanks for the revealing and insightful posts. And happy birthday!

Thank you for your words. You have an authentic and honest voice and I wish you the best.

[Marcin Tustin]

I'm shocked. Why would turning 34, and entering your own self-defined midlife prompt a renunciation of blogging?

You seem not to be weak-willed enough, or both weak-willed and willing to admit to being weak-willed to restart on this blog, rather than another, which is bad for us.

[Megan]

Your blog showed me what bravery can be and kept me honest. I'll miss it, and wish you the best.

[ogged]

Sounds like a happy ending to me. All the best.

Reading this blog is part of my daily routine -- thank you for sharing so much with us.

Best of luck!

[girltuesday]

oh no! am i actually going to have to WORK at work??? i am so sad (for me)! i love reading your entries. i'll miss you, SOE.

happy christmas & happy birthday.

cheers!

[b]

Hi Sherry - I rarely comment, but I read your blog regularly and I find it really moving and inspirational. We share some similar background - I went to your alma mater for undergrad, and I'm currently in law school. I used to live in northern New England and share your love for its peace and beauty, and I fear a life in the law that won't let me have that. Reading about your choices and experiences has really helped me to figure out how I want to shape my own. I'm so sad to hear that you're giving it up - I will really miss you. Thanks for all your honesty and wisdom, and best of luck. And happy birthday!

[hilllady]

I'll miss checking in on you, Sherry. I hope you keep writing, in whatever form. (But enough with the midlife crisis about turning 34. You're making me feel OLD, girl! Have a great birthday:)

[turboglacier]

Good lord! Shocking. I will miss SoE greatly. [P.S. Sherry-- if you have been kidnapped by North Carolinians, and they are making you write this against your will, post a comment with the following code-words: espresso, gecko, feldspar. We will rescue you!]

[gretchen]

Oh, I'm so sad. I've been reading this blog for years--I started law school right as you started the blog, and in many ways, I feel like you've been my big sister in the law--feeling things out, figuring out how to lead a happy life, learning what it takes to be a good person. Thank you for what you've shared so far. You're so brave to post all of this, especially under your real name. It has been really, deeply appreciated.

But I hate to think that I won't know how things turn out with you, though--will you and NBT get married? Will you have babies? Will you return to the practice of law? It's like having someone pull Jane Eyre away from right under your nose, just before she says, "Reader, I married him." Please don't go away for good.

[Bill]

Well, its been a great run Sherry. Your blog has entertained me during slow times at work, and definitely made me think. Thanks a bunch, and best of luck with the goals you set for the new year.

[bill]

What Bill said. And Happy Birthday!

[Stephanie]

I loved reading your blog and will miss your writing and observations. Thank you.

[J]

oh. ouch. seriously, you're dumping us? and right before christmas.

really, i am truly happy for you and the good things you have going on now. i know i will miss knowing what's up with you. i think that's a little strange since i do not actually know you. when i read here i always think of it as "checking in on sherry." i'll miss that. even though saying it makes me feel stalker-ish and weird.

thanks for sharing a bit of your life, thoughts, insight, and yourself. all the best to you.

[Isaac Laquedem]

That does it! No kaiserschmarren for you!

Seriously, I have enjoyed your blog in all of its (and your) lives and will miss reading what you write. Best wishes.

[The Other J]

GAACK!

[Listless]

Hopefully, tomorrow's present will be a link to a new blog. That's the only answer that makes sense, because your absence here will be a crushing loss otherwise.

If you do leave, we will all miss your courage, and your voice.

[Laurie]

Thank you for taking the time and effort to write your blog. I started reading because my daughter had just graduated from law school at the age of 29 and had accepted a position with a law firm in Bangor, ME. After she received her Masters, she had taken time to work before deciding to attend law school. Since we live 3,000 miles away, I wanted a casual day-to-day take on what was happening in that part of the country from someone who had a similar background as my daughter. Your blog provided me with that through your daily entries and pictures. Simply by mentioning what the weather was like on a specific day, relationships/events with family, neighbors, friends, etc., you allowed me to feel like I was conversing with my daughter’s roommate. Even though you live in Portland, a couple of hours south of Bangor, by reading your blog, I was able to feel more comfortable knowing she was living in a community of people who valued family as well as the environment. It’s a “mother” thing, I guess. I must say I couldn’t get enough of the pictures you took outdoors, especially when you were sailing.

Again, thank you, I wish you smooth sailing and may the wind be always at your back. God bless.

P.S. I do enjoy your mother’s blog and Ronni Bennett’s too, more so since she moved to Portland from Manhattan. Love the pictures.

Sherry,

Thanks for being so brave and open. You are a rarity in the blog world and I will miss catching up with you. You have clearly reached so many people over the years, and Stay of Execution, even as it goes dark, is truly a success story.

As a new blogger, inspired by you, I can imagine that what may have started out as a completely personal exercise ultimately took on a life of its own. I can see how hard it would be to keep up with that indefinitely. You are bowing out with your usual grace.

I think you are a wonderful writer and I know that someone as talented as you with so much to say will not remain silent for long. So good luck to you, and I hope to rediscover you some day, in some new way.

Thank you so much for all of the beautiful and inspiring entries, about Maine, the law & leaving the law, and life in general. Best of luck in everything, your blog will be missed!