Welcome!
My name is Renee Fishman, and I’m the one-woman show behind this site. This started as a place for me to express my ideas and ramblings and has become a daily blog with almost 2,500 essays, over 100,000 visitors, and growing.
The following is an intro I wrote in 2013 when this site launched. It’s been updated infrequently since then. Most recently in March 2024.
TBH, each time I read it, I feel like I want to update it. Sometimes it feels a little stale for a site that’s now been around over a decade. But also I like the flavor of the original intention, you know? There’s something about this that reminds me of why I started.
So most of this is the OG introduction to this site and what it’s about.
What’s This All About, Anyway?
If you’re new here, this is a good place to start.
Welcome to My Meadow Report. I appreciate that you came to my little corner of the world.
I am a recovering perfectionist, and the idea of putting something out there that isn’t triple-checked is still scary.
The goal here is to “implement and iterate.” Published over perfect.
This site does not always look so pretty. I’m experimenting with new themes and layouts and colors and … oh, my.
If you find a broken link or colors that don’t match, well, please forgive me. Also, please let me know.
Sometimes there are even posts without images. Shhh.. don’t tell anyone. Anyway, isn’t the content what matters?
If you find a typo, please keep it to yourself. It’s not that I don’t care about typos. Actually, I care deeply about typos. Probably too much. And if you point them out, then of course I’ll want to fix them. I’ll also go down the rabbit hole looking for more. There are some big ones here. I know about some of them. I intentionally choose not to correct some of them.
Since I first started this blog it has become a daily blog. If I chase down every typo, I won’t get the stuff out of my head to publish. Until I can hire a full-time editor, I choose to care more about serving and publishing than typos. I’m going to exercise my choice where I can.
About Me
My name is Renée Fishman. Please click here to read a brief bio.
It’s brief because I don’t like bios. I don’t really fit neatly into the pre-defined boxes that people want to put me in.
Ivy-League-educated high-achiever and free-spirited creative usually are not grouped in the same sentence, let alone the same person.
But here I am. I am both of those things and more.
The truth is, that — probably like you — I’m just trying to figure out who I am, and the intersection of
- the gifts, skills, and talents I have to offer this world
- the things that the people who I serve most need and want
- what lights me up to offer
If I can do that before I leave this life, that will be awesome, and probably a step ahead of many people.
What I’m Doing Here
If you’re wondering what this site is all about, please read this first post and the mission and vision overview for more details.
In a nutshell, this is a blog where I explore life.
I write about my experiences, observations, thoughts, emotions, and the insights and lessons I learn along the way.
I also write about patterns I see within my own experiences and with my clients.
I have a lot of thoughts, about a lot of things. Sometimes, too many thoughts.
Also, many emotions. We get into all of that and more here.
I am a prolific writer. Publishing was less prolific until October 30, 2017.
That’s when I resolved to just publish every day, no matter what.
When I resolve, it’s for real. Since then, it’s been every day. Published over perfect.
Why I Write a Blog
There are two components to this:
- Why share my thoughts and observations with the world
- Why on a blog like this, vs social media or a “social blog” or videos
I’ll address both.
(1) Why Share At All
It is my profound hope and desire that what I share here will be of service to you. I wear many hats and play many roles.
I am constantly learning. This is a place where I sometimes process and sometimes report, but always with the goal of serving you.
I hope that my writing here offers you inspiration, and motivation, and is a portal to insight into your own experience.
My goal here is not to tell you how it is or be your guru, but to create a container in which you can have insight into your inner wisdom. My hope is that by sharing my stories, insights, observations, and lessons learned, you can better attune to your experiences and the lessons you can pull from them.
And if you aren’t quite there yet, then I hope you can learn from my lessons and shorten your learning curve.
Secondary to that, here’s a “fun fact:”
I used to suffer from chronic sore throats. Every day I would wake up with a sore throat. After I committed to publishing daily, the sore throats went away. I can count on one hand the number of days I’ve woken up with a sore throat since October 30, 2017.
The throat is our energetic portal of expression. Sharing here keeps me healthy.
(2) Why a Blog
In 2024, it’s a fair question. With all the other platforms and portals available, is a traditional blog still relevant?
The short answer is YES.
One of my many roles in my life is that I am a NYC real estate broker. In that role, I’ve long advised my clients to avoid buying apartments in “land lease” buildings — co-ops where the corporation doesn’t own the land. If you live in the suburbs it’s the same principle:
You want to own the land where you build your home.
The same thing applies online.
Social platforms come and go. I came of age in the era of Friendster and MySpace, before there was Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (now X), Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and all the others. When I started this, there was no Medium, Stubstack, Ghost, or whatever else the kids are using these days.
There is nothing wrong with any of those platforms. But the simple fact is this: I don’t have control over my content there.
Algorithms change, platforms fall out of favor. Trends come and go.
With my own blog, I have a portfolio, a cohereny record of the ideas I’ve shared and their evolution.
Building out this blog required making several choices. One of those was to step away from social media for a while. I try to get back there now and I welcome you to follow and engage with me on the various social channels.
As for a blog over video, well, I love video, but personally find it annoying to have to listen to content or watch it. I want to read and skim.
Writing will never go out of style.
Also, if you’re going to write a script for video or a podcast, you’re already writing. Might as well publish it.
Connecting Elsewhere
While you’re clicking around, please connect with me on the social web. You can easily find me everywhere as @reneefishman. I’ve been on a long hiatus from most social channels but I’m slowly making my way back. Here are the major places I hang:
Isn’t that easy?
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Thank You
Thanks so much for being here. I can’t even begin to tell you how much it means to me that you are reading this right now. I hope you’ll stay for a while and I hope you’ll come back. Even better, subscribe!! And send your friends!!
I have a lot of wisdom to share. I hope you’ll find it helpful. At the very least, I hope you’ll find it interesting. Or kind of funny.
I look forward to getting to know you as we journey along our paths together.
From my heart to yours,
Renée
This was initially published on November 19, 2013. It was most recently updated on March 8, 2024.