Random Friday Thoughts
I don’t have enough to say about any one topic, so instead I offer you random Friday thoughts.
Earlier today I was feeling somewhat down and out, a little depressed. It’s nothing that requires heavy-duty treatment or meds. I noticed I felt somewhat better after taking a decent walk with my son and Jake. I felt even better when I tackled a project to make cushions for my son’s “new” $20 Craig’s List table and chairs. In fact, now that the cushions are finished, my mood has completely shifted. So can I conclude from this that physical exercise and having a purpose are two important components of feeling happy and fulfilled?
I must admit my son has done a terrific job of furnishing his efficiency apartment using Craig’s List. But the $25 TV syndrome may have struck again. When I first moved here, I talked our group house (of 5 girls) into buying a TV for $25 since none of us came with one. It worked for exactly 3 days then went black forever. I still have the sewing stool it came on, but that TV is long gone. Similarly my son recently bought a used TV for $25. (I marveled at the fact that although inflation has increased by at least several hundred percent, there was a 25” TV for that price today.) After my experience, I urged him to make sure the TV worked before making the purchase. He said the girl seemed honest enough. But now there is a line through the picture. Buying used electronics is always a crap shoot.
I’ve been thinking a lot about where I want to go with Blogging. A lot of the people on my link list write very infrequently and seldom comment any longer. I seem to be struggling many days to come up with something even remotely interesting to say and I’m spending a lot less time reading other people’s Blogs. Do I need to take a break? Do I need to cultivate new readers? Will I know when it is time to quit? I often wonder who all those people are who come to visit every day and leave no calling card. Maybe I’ll eventually just go full circle and end up writing for my own edification, just as my Blog began 5 years ago. I don’t have to determine my Blogging future tonight. Maybe things will look different in the morning.
There, how’s that for minutiae? Maybe I’ll take you on a photo tour of my son’s new apartment with its wonderful blend of gently used furnishings tomorrow. I’m sure you just can’t wait!
posted by Barbara at 11:41 PM
11 Comments:
This post made me chuckle. I've read several posts lately where the blogger ponders the purpose of blogging and the worth. It can be discouraging when you put effort into your writing and photos only to find no one is reading them and/or commenting. I am going with your conclusion - write for yourself. It may connect with someone "out there" eventually but if it doesn't, at least you've created something that satisfies that inner urge.
My daughter got several good pieces of furniture through Craig's list. I do the same with tag sale items and finds from the transfer station. Once you use something new just once, it's "used" so why not go the inexpensive route with "gently used" though it was done by someone else?
Barbara, I'll bet I'm not alone in reading your blog daily with delight. I don't comment often,however, because others have written what I was thinking. Sometimes I need to process my thoughts, so days may go by and I don't ever get back to commenting.
I agree with Pauline. Write for yourself and your family present and yet to come. Your ruminations will interest them, as they grow and try to figure out who they are. They'll see themselves in you and have a leg up thanks to your blogs.
I am another frequent reader and non-commenter. I read as many blogs as ever but rarely leave a comment.
As to the TV--I have my old pre-digital decent tv sitting in my back closet. If your son wants it, it's his. But he'd have to get a digital converter box. Rabbit ears included! ;)
Pauline -- I often wonder how I managed to write every day for almost a year with hardly a single comment. But the fact that I did makes me realize comments and readers are a luxury. While I love the interaction they provide, I can be self-reliant.
RL -- I have been trying to figure out who you are. Should I know? Did you by chance transpose your initials? :)
Jamy -- Thanks so much for the offer of the TV. I think he is actually going to live with the bargain TV, despite the fact that it has a "dead" spot in the upper left. If it were mine, it would be enough to make me want to read a book instead.
As someone who read your blog anonymously for a very long time before I ever commented, I would venture to say that all of your regular anonymous readers out there would be very disappointed if they could no longer get a piece of your mind each day.
Yes, actually...a little latent dyslexia, I suppose.
love your posts --- everyday-- makes me think!!!
oh-- have a funny story to tell!! My 3rd grader and her 1st grader friend were playing "school" in the backseat of a van on a long trip. 3rd grader said "ok M"time to get through w/ your test!!! Then , later "OK M -- show me your TESTEES-- I need to grade them!! (yeah-- say that out loud!!)
Barbara, I never give a thought to readers when I blog. Soem might ssay it shows.
^^LOL at Merle
Barbara, I always enjoy your blog, and the thing I like about it is that it's purely slice-of-life. It's great to see what you're thinking about and doing on any given day, and I like your wide range of interests and abilities.
Having said that, I completely identify with your uncertainty about the purposes of blogging. I question that all the time. As I've said before, though, I kept a journal for years that no one read but me -- so even if just one or two people come to my blog, I have more readers than I ever did before. :)
Ultimately, I think blogging IS for the blogger as much as the reader.
I'm doing one a week and I gotta tell you I like it that way right now. i enjoyed doing almost a post a day last year, and it was good for me, but as i said last month it left me a bit "Affected".
I kept looking for a post as I went through my day, i could'nt hardly have a conversation without my subconcious wondering 'is there a post in here somewhere" and then...the worst part was that my impromptu stories and jokes weren't so impromtu anymore!
Just Friday I went to dinner with my son...he asked how work was going and I gave him a one sentence answer and he though it was funny....he thought it was so funny that when my daughter showed up, he wanted me to tell her what I said....and when I did, she didn't even grin, she just looked at me dryly and said 'Yeah, he blogged that a month ago!"
Tina -- You need to write a Blog!
Merle -- I love reading your Blog because you are so REAL. I would be very surprised if I actually met you and you were any different than you come across on your Blog.
Steve -- I totally agree with you. I actually think I would feel overwhelmed if I were one of those people getting 93 comments a day. But then I was never one of the more popular kids in school. I treasure my handful of faithful readers, the ones who Blog and the ones who don't. I am certain that if I were down and out, they would all give me support (as they did when I broke my hip).
Bulletholes -- I know what you mean about seeing "the world as Blog." I cringe when in a conversation someone says "I read about that on your Blog." Especially when my husband is listening and thinking "She wrote about THAT?"
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