Get over it …
03 May 2013 4 Comments
“Grudges are for those who insist that they are owed something; forgiveness, however, is for those who are substantial enough to move on.”
― Criss Jami,
In Every Inch In Every Mile
It’s not you, it’s me …
02 May 2013 2 Comments
in Daily Prompt, My Thoughts Tags: be real, blogging, Facebook, family, learning, life, plans, time, writing
To what extent is your blog a place for your own self-expression and creativity vs. a site designed to attract readers? How do you balance that? If sticking to certain topics and types of posts meant your readership would triple, would you do it?
Well, to be honest … which is a good approach under most circumstances … my blog is for me. Whatever load of creativity the DNA genie bestowed on me goes into my blog, my Facebook page, my house, and my erratically churning thought processes.
I love it when people come to my blog and comment on what they see there. It’s lovely, it’s gratifying, it gives me warm gooshy feelings all over. I even get off on seeing how many people have been here, whether they say anything or not.
But would I write for a select audience in opposition to, or to the exclusion of, what I really believe and feel? I’d like to think I wouldn’t. Attention is a jealous mistress who gets her hooks into us when we see ourselves as immune … but I’d hate to think I’d throw away the hodge-podge of experience I’ve accumulated and become a sell-out.
Or maybe that isn’t what it’s about at all. Maybe it’s about finding and connecting with varied personality types and saying things they enjoy hearing.
If my readership tripled, I’m sure I’d be looking at what made that happen. Meanwhile, I’m just trying to keep all the plates spinning … wife, mom, Facebook maven, blogger. I swear to myself every week (don’t listen, please) to be better about keeping up with the other bloggers I follow, get right in there and rub elbows, talk about what is and what isn’t, leave thoughtful comments on their posts, build community …
But look at me. I’m over a day late with this “daily” prompt. I started it yesterday morning right after getting the message … and then the blog posts stacked up and the emails poured in and my Facebook peeps were having fun without me and my husband needed to talk, and an industry blog wanted a commitment, and the coffee was running out and I was running behind anditallgotkindacrazy and …
No, clearly my blog is for me. I need it. My immediate world needs it. There couldn’t be any cheaper therapy. I’ll stick with what I love, and people are welcome – invited – to stop by and love it or leave it.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2013/05/01/daily-prompt-personal-space/
Grateful for “the helpers” …
29 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
Perfect morning for a walk — it wasn’t very exercise-y, but the mild temps and light breeze made strolling, stopping for a sit on most of the benches along the way, looking at the geese in the meadow and turtles in the ponds, and talking, talking, talking an exercise in true happiness. My steady-as-a-rock-through-anything husband listened to the litany of blues that have buried me since yesterday … lent perspective as only he can do … made me throw back my head and laugh … and as always, the light changed, even just a little. Thank you, babe.
And this was at the top of my Facebook news feed when I sat down in my office …
My life in liquids …
26 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in Miscellaneous, My Thoughts Tags: be real, coffee, happy stuff, life, love, water, wine
Coffee gets me out of bed in the mornings — rich, full-bodied, black and hot.
Water gets me through the day — clean, cold and crystal-clear.
Red wine takes me through the evening — velvety, lush, heart-healthy and shared.
Yes indeed, life is good.
I don’t ask for much …
23 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
in Poetry Tags: be real, beauty, happiness, inspiration, life, living, love, loving, relationships
"She did not need much, wanted very little. A kind word, sincerity, fresh air, clean water, a garden, kisses, books to read, sheltering arms, a cozy bed, and to love and be loved in return." ~Starra Neely Blade
What counts …
19 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
Whatever your mindset, philosophy, religion or faith, most things can be reduced to this …
Speaking of tolerance …
18 Apr 2013 2 Comments
An observation: In my dotage, my willingness to suffer fools gladly, tolerate deliberate obtuseness, subscribe to another person’s take on truth, and tightly censor myself seems to be slipping away. I still remember how to do all that … I’m just losing my willing spirit. Life is too short for endless suffocating banality.
Another observation: The most annoyingly off-base people seem to possess not a shred of self-doubt.
And another: It does no good to harbor hurt feelings over the thoughtlessness of other people — they’re simply wrapped up in doing the same thing I am … living life. Okay, okay … so now we’ve come full circle. Maybe I should put on my adult-size girlie undies and deal with it.
The critic doesn’t count …
18 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
It isn’t the person who doesn’t like me that matters, their voice isn’t what I will listen to. Instead, I hear the whispers of those who love me … “Carry on.”
(from a wonderful shirttail cousin)
When it’s over …
17 Apr 2013 Leave a comment
“When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.
When it is over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.
I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.”
~Mary Oliver
Playing for Time 
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