Some days I wonder if I've reached the end of blogging. Ideas seem trite. I don't have time to sew or knit or craft in this last push to finish my studies. I feel empty, lacking inspiration. My life is so very ordinary.
Then a rush of ideas come. One piling onto another. Today is such a day.
Yesterday, Vee celebrated her 4th year of blogging. In my comment on her post I asked the question, "Have you found that thinking of fodder for your blog causes you to look at life differently?"
Vee answered in the comments and then asked the question back to me. My initial answer is yes, but then I thought a little more. How has it changed? And why? And how can I explain it?
So I've been thinking about it for most of the day, in between working on my French Poetry and Theatre of the 19th century (Poésie et théâtre du 19e siècle) course.
I'm finding that blogging is a lot like poetry. It's concise. It requires paying attention. What do I say and what do I leave out? Rather than providing a complete picture of my life, blogging allows me to reveal snippets, a bit at a time, as I feel comfortable. Slices of life rather than the entire loaf.
Blogging hasn't so much changed the way I view life as it has refined it. I'm more attuned to the moments of life rather than just the big picture. I pay attention. I look for beauty. I care for other people who also share snippets of their lives - most of whom I have never met. Blogging has opened up a wider world of like-minded people.
Blogging has sharpened my focus and given me another perspective. It's caused me to bend low to look at minute details and to widen my gaze to grander vistas.
So now I'm asking YOU the question, slightly tweaked - how has blogging refined your attitude to life?
Love this post, Lorrie.
ReplyDeleteI found myself nodding my head in agreement as you answered your question.
Blogging has helped me to realize that what I may take as normal or even ordinary, may not be the case for others. Not only has blogging opened my eyes to seeing what is going on in my own life (changed my perspective), I've been able to see glimpses into others lives (and experiences)which has greatly enriched my life and the appreciation I have for the beauty and abundance in this world.
Oh I hope that lots of bloggers will respond to your most excellent question. Whenever we become more aware of beauty, the ebb and flow of living, the joys, sorrows, too, it enriches us. This I know, I am always aiming for specificity and still I find that I miss the mark. Perhaps I don't have the command of English that being focused requires or perhaps it is something more serious, a lack in my character. I so often find myself thinking that is not quite what I meant to say.
ReplyDeleteAgain, most excellent question. Linds at Rocking Chair Reflections also answered in a separate post. You might be interested in her comments.
hmmm good question...I feel less alone in my view of the world..challenges, depression and creativity. Blogging has made me more honest in my life.
ReplyDeleteGood question.
ReplyDeleteI could say 'ditto' to everything you've written.
Mostly, blogging gives me a place to express a thought or a view that I've turned around in my mind and distilled. I've never been particularly creative, but these bits of writing are my own and what I have to offer up. No matter what the day or week has been like I can turn my attention to something pleasant or funny, beautiful or thought-provoking, and lose myself in it.
Very thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteI find it is such a two way process, I learn so much from other people, and I hope that perhaps some of my tales open up a new and foreign world to readers.
I certainly have learned to be concise and careful in my writing.
What a great question and one that I'll have to give some thought to but off the top of my head I would have to say ditto to everything you mentioned in this post.
ReplyDeleteMaggie
Lorrie you've asked a thought provoking question and I agree with everyone. I think blogging has helped me see the beauty of my surroundings and helped me to try to live and grow where I've been planted in my later years. My heart still yearns for the beauty of other places but I do find myself more content on a daily basis. As Pondside suggested, it's so easy to catch a quick glimpse of another blogger's perspective, surroundings and life. I enjoy these blogging connections.
ReplyDeleteI was reflecting on this today, as I walked along! I think blogging has kept me looking for the good in my life. I'd become a bit stuck on the difficult aspects of living in France, and now I have every reason to look for the good all around me!
ReplyDelete