Blogging to illuminate, to reconcile

Illumination

Lately I have been enjoying writing blogs that seem to reconcile stuck, limited, or judging viewpoints within.

Something arises.  Some judgment, some feeling, some sorrow, something that’s not yet integrated.

Perhaps it has to do with a friendship.  A sense of longing.  Something deep inside which wants to be accepted, yet there’s still a pushing away, a not-allowing. Perhaps it’s an anger, a sorrow, a not-understanding.

I sit and type, letting the deepest self share its thoughts.

Then–instead of turning too quickly in the next moment–or too compulsively looking toward your comments or visits–it seems that the words in the blog are felt on a deeper level.  I feel the truth in the words, to understand, to allow.

It often feels like a big ah-ha of understanding.  It feels like it translates into true realization, into something real which can inform the next action.

Advice to a young blogger

Grandma Blogger in cool hat

Dear Blogging Tyke, come and sit on Grandma’s knees and I will tell you the Blogging Secrets of Life.

(What? you gasp.  I’m no tyke! And you’re no grandma!  And your knees certainly don’t look sturdy enough to sit upon!)

Yes, child, you are a blogging tyke.  You are a wee one in the world of on-line blogging depending on how the experts determine your age.  There is a complicated formula utilized by the Powers that Be which figures your blogging age.  I’m not 100% certain, but mathematically it goes something like this:  number of posts published multiplied by commenters multiplied by hits divided by years plus 6% if the search engines love ya.

Have you figured out your blogging age yet?  OK, get on my knee and we’ll get started.  (You get off my knee.  You’re too heavy.  We’re taking that elderly gentleman first.)

How do you solve the blog reading conundrum?

Should you read her blog?

Let’s face it.  There are a million blogs out here.  OK, maybe three million.

If you’re a blog reader–or writer–with limited time and energy (and perhaps no inclination to read three million blogs before bedtime) how do you choose?

There are so many different ways to choose.  Of course, we choose to read the blog writers we like.  We choose topics we enjoy.  We choose interests.  Some of us just like to look at photographs and, darn it, we won’t read 1,500 words no matter how fancy they are.  Others of us adore words and will read essays but ignore the pictures, no matter how sparkling and amazing they are.  Others of us love both.

Thank you for four wonderful years of blogging here.

The very first photo I published. Our house creatively shining in the woods.

Yep, my friends, it’s been four years of blogging on WordPress come Winter Solstice.

Will you forgive me a post down Memory’s Lane?

My first WordPress blog started after lighting a grand solstice fire on a snowy night out in the woods on December 21, 2008.  A daily blog called Opening the door, walking outside followed for an entire year.  After less than a ten-day break, Lake Superior Spirit opened its blogging doors on January 1, 2010.

The joy and shame of stats

If I were a perfect person in a perfect world I would not care about stats.  (That’s what I tell myself.)

However, as an imperfect person in an imperfect world, may I share one of my greatest joys and shames with you?

I am a long-term lover of stats and the thrill of numbers.

They have made this heart race to the stars and back over the years.

A little background:  I am a financial person.  Two of my part-time jobs involve budgeting, comparing, saving, reporting and creating journal entries.

Oh how I’ve adored playing with numbers!  Up, down, backwards, forwards!  It’s like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle.  It’s been darn fun.

Daughter & me with jigsaw puzzle

Blinded by the light

Blinded by the light

Apparently, once I wrote a blog post called Blinded by the light.

It must have been a long, long time ago because the memory of writing this is now covered in darkness.

On Monday morning I quickly signed into WordPress before going to work, re-read the previously written blog about Dying on Facebook, and skipped over to the stats page to discover who might have visited previously.

Turns out four people had visited this ancient long-ago Blinded by the Light post.

I noted it, duly forgot, and headed to work.

A deer grazing by the side of the road caught the bright glare of the car’s headlights and stood frozen.

Dear Diary, thank you for listening while I babble.

Dear Lake Superior Spirit Diary,

Gosh, now that I’ve turned off comments (in order to better catch up on reading other people’s blogs, because I got so far behind and feel guilty writing more posts with more comments to respond and reciprocate) it’s kinda fun to just Think Out Loud.

I read and commented on other people’s blogs for almost three hours yesterday, and have scheduled another couple hours today.

But enough blogging talk, Diary. It’s been a long time since we’ve last babbled.

OK, what shall we talk about this fine Sunday morning when Daylight Savings Time forced our clocks to “fall back” so everyone on the planet is up an hour earlier than they planned?  Or else they’re sleeping in, grasping handfuls of sleep greedily, attempting to “catch up” just like I’m trying to catch up in the blogosphere.

Diary, I don’t know what to think of my new Lake Superior Spirit page on Facebook.  (You don’t know what to think of anything!  Isn’t it odd how we sometimes know less and less as we age?)  Yes, indeed, it’s odd how we know less and less as we age, except when we think we know more.

One of my pictures went viral this week!

Kathy, you know you exaggerate.  Did it really go viral, or did you get 100 views?

The picture that went “viral”, Diary, since you haven’t seen it before.

From Dutch clogs to surfboards

Clogs

Off line for a few days, but have three scheduled posts for you.

Mostly photos.

Found these pictures hiding in a pre-2008 folder.

Really not sure if any of them were even taken by me!

Not about me

Us

Sweet readers,

A confession!

Often these posts are not about me.

Even though I use the word “I”.

Here’s what happens.

I’m meditating.

The Universe announces the day’s blog.

(WHAT? You want me to write about THAT?)

Yesterday during meditation, the Universe announced:  Readers come and readers go.  Since I’d experienced this before, I leaped toward the computer all excited.

It’s fun when the Universe writes your posts.

You sit with poised fingers and wait to see what It will say.

(That’s why I love writing.  The Universe says the most unexpected things!)

Sometimes I’m puzzled when people think it’s about me.  They think I lost readers recently. Or that I’m upset.  Even though the Universe explicitly used the word “you” over and over again.

Readers come and readers go

Sweetheart

Dear bloggers, has this happened to you?

You love your readers, every one.

You adore the give-and-take of commenters.

You think they are cooler than the moon.

They are awesome!

And then, one fine blogging day, one or seventeen commenters disappear into the ethers and never return.