Toning the Writing Muscle

My dad asked me if I thought blogging was on the way out - or already done. I told him that I thought so; many of my favourite bloggers haven't posted in months and I rarely get a comment anymore. Blog fatigue. I think the length and commitment of the blog has given way to the succinct 140 character quips and tweets. People are busy and want info served up in small tidy packets.

I get it. But it does not deter me. Because, wisely or not, I blog for myself. I blog to exercise my writing muscle; to express myself; to cause myself to pause at day's end and reflect. After all, any day worth living has a gift - a nugget of truth or wisdom. And I set out to seek the gift.

I have been blogging for more than six years now. I started this space to challenge myself to write every day. I accomplished that the first two years and sadly the number of posts reduced by half in each subsequent year. I waned. I let other things get in the way of writing and I missed it. Writing takes commitment and today I am renewing my vows, so to speak. My "muscle" is flabby (like so many others) but not for long! That's the beauty of time -- we can reinvent ourselves and start anew for tomorrow is a new day. And for that, I am truly grateful.

On the Cusp

I just noticed that this blog is teetering with 99 followers the exact same day that my other blog, Soul Snax gained three new followers to also reach 99 (and they are not all the same followers). hmm

I am thrilled that anyone other than my proud papa would want to read something I write, so I think sitting on the cusp of this little milestone is to remind me to be grateful. And so I will  be, and am.

I enjoy the little blogger community I have come to know and be a part of these past four years. There are so many wonderful writers out there and people who willing to share. I have learned that everyone has a story to tell, and I love to read them.

Thank you to all of you who drop by for a visit now and again. It warms my heart. 

Gift of Jewel

I got mail - the really good kind! Se'lah over at the Necessary Room organized this wonderful exchange between bloggers, reminiscent of the pen pal days of my youth. All I had to do was send a heartfelt message through the mail and then wait for mine to arrive. It did not disappoint. Last week I came home to a handwritten envelope that tipped me off that it wasn't a bill or a boring piece of corporate literature. No - the exacting cursive writing said "Lyn" on it and it was the first thing I ripped open.

It was from Amelia over at momsdailyretreat - a blog which I was not familiar with - until now. Like a friend dropping in for a visit, I popped over to check her impressive digs. The blog has a soothing feel to it.

I reciprocated with an electronic note of thanks to Amelia and to Se'lah for their efforts. It has inspired me to do more of that -- send personal notes through the mail. As atrocious as my handwriting has become, I think there is something extra thoughtful knowing the pains someone took to deliver a message, and I know how much I enjoy receiving them (thanks to MIH I get them all the time).

The intent was simple ... to spread the love. And it worked.

Good News -- There Has to Be Some

I watched the news tonight -- a barrage of stories on murder, missing women and children, an arrested teacher, bus explosion, celebrity infidelities, gloom about the war and the anniversary of Bhopol disaster in which more than 8,000 workers perished. The entire 30 minute report didn't contain a single positive story.

What - nothing fantastical happened in the world today? I don't believe that for a moment. Not sure when news had to mean bad news. I think we need a daily dose of the spectacular; we need to hear the stories of the heroes and angels who walk the earth transforming the ugly into beautiful, fixing the broken and healing the sick. We are starving to be inspired and uplifted.

Thankfully social media - just like the blog I am writing - has liberated communications. I can simply turn to my "follow" list and read the insights of my blogger friends, my special community who can share and express their ideas and stories freely. And that, they do. Every day I read something that makes me laugh; that causes me to reflect; and inspires me.

And that is not just good news -- it's great news. Every day.

Saturday Sharing

Happy Saturday!
It's another grey day here - thus the photo of the smiling sunflowers which I took a few weeks ago to bring some sun into the weekend.

I just took a hour to catch up on the posts of my favourite blogger friends and I  just read a post from Janine over at Sniffles and Smiles that I just have to share. Janine is a cancer survivor - but oh, so more than that. She is a wonderful, expressive writer - the kind that love and light just shines through in their attitude and in their writing. Tell me if this isn't one of the most beautiful descriptive yarns you've read recently ... it is called Untethered.  It isn't about cancer - it's about the bittersweet richness - the joy and pain - of this adventurous journey that is our life.

Enjoy the read and the weekend - and thank you Janine!

300 and Counting ...

Dear Blog,
This is my 300th post and I thought it only fitting that we celebrate, you and me. When we started out together just over a year ago, I wasn't sure of the commitment I was willing to make to you. I wasn't sure of what I would say, or if what I did have to say would be of interest to anyone else. So, we flirted and dated occasionally, but nothing too serious...

By last November, after much soul searching, I was ready to make a commitment to myself - and to us. I wanted to end my day, reflecting on the gift - the take away - from each day. If there is no take away, then it is a day wasted, and not a single day of life should be wasted. I concluded that there would be some days that my take away may not be terribly interesting to anyone else, but I decided right then and there to commit -- to commit to writing every day, regardless. And I think I have done fairly well. There have been the odd days when it was simply impossible to access my computer or the Internet to get to you, or that I was too ill to write. But on the whole, I made every effort to end my day on a positive, reflective, grateful note and blog about it.

So thank you my dear Blog. You have taught me much about myself and showed me that I have a rich, blessed life that is constant motion and evolution. You have given me friends from all the corners of the planet, and reaffirmed my faith in humankind. You have reminded me of the legacy of strength and love I have inherited, and you have encouraged me to share that with others.

So for now, our bond is a permanent one. A lasting one. Here's to you and me Blog, and another 300 posts.

What a Wonderful Blog World

It never ceases to amaze me -- the warmth and kindness of my blog community. This community of mine - this cosy little circle of human beings who share a love of writing and connecting - is as real as though they were my next door neighbours, colleagues or coffee buddies. I look forward to catching up with them and if they  God forbid take a vacation or break in blogging, I miss them and eagerly await their return.

How lucky was I to stumble upon these wonderful people ... I remember the very first blog I ever followed -- Carrie over at Carrotspeak. I am not sure how I stumbled across her blog but when I did, and read her charming profile and her display of wit and humour I couldn't believe she didn't have any followers yet. I confess that the fact that she was barely older than Kidlet may have stirred the protective, maternal senses - just a little. I wanted to cast my vote for clever - and I wanted her to know she was being heard. I was privileged to be her first. Of course now that she has been Blog of Note, I am just one of more than 600 of her royal subjects. And even though we have never spoken and will probably never meet, I have grown attached to my little friend and have a vested interest in her life and future. I care about her.

And that goes for so many of my blogger friends from everywhere. You make the world a smaller place.

The colours of the rainbow, so pretty in the post
Are also  in the hearts of people I follow most
I see friends checking in, sayin' "How do you do?"
They're really saying "I love you"
And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.
What a wonderful blog world this is.

Blogged Down - In a Good Way

I've done alot of travelling today... it started early this morning. I found a new blog to read and one blog lead to another and before I knew it, I was lost lost in the words, colour and photos of fellow bloggers from around the world.

I met Karen from Border Town Notes who blogs from a small Botswana town. Her breathtaking images of African wildlife and panoramic vistas drew me in; I intended to just drop in and instead, I was hooked. Then I wandered over to Under the Botswana Sky to soak up more Africa ... my appetite only increasing. Finally I ended up at Lori Times Five. Where to start ... Lori has travelled (yes, to Africa amongst other places), parents five kids and blogs about life in a way that is authentic and full of heart.

I never cease to be amazed by the shrinking effect blogging has on the world. Gaps are bridged, ideas and thoughts shared, and we bond over the commonalities of the human condition. I can't wait to read the posts of my blogger friends everyday - I can always find a smile ...

On another completely different note ... we bought Fritz some "healthy, organic" dog biscuits. After reading the ingredients on the box, I was salivating. Couldn't resist. I tried one.

Hubby thought it was dumb. But then I saw it on the box. Saved!

Was Lost - But Now is Found

It should have been easy. Hubby is a creative whiz and I was plotting to suck some of his genius out for myself. I had this notion of personalizing my blog to reflect my sparkling yet deep personality. It had to be special -- even a little grandiose. What can I say ... I'm turning into a little bit of a blogger diva. He sat patiently by my side as I proudly showed him the new header I had build in my Photoshop Elements program. The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly, wise enough not to break out into a full out laugh.

[Hubby] "As long as you like it - that's all that's important". (Translation: Yuck!)

[Me] "Well, it does need a little more work -- I was hoping you could suggest some changes - and then make them".

So he went to work customizing the rigid, Blogger template as I gently supervised over his shoulder. He mumbled under his breath as he worked to square off the corners, extend the width, etc, the whole time expounding on the pitfalls of templates and how he likes to create his own designs. Somehow between me reaching over his shoulder to open other windows and hubby previewing his changes - we SAVED the testing site and then promptly LOST the original - customized widgets and all.

Hours of lost work flashed before my eyes and hubby tried to make a quick retreat to the cave. It could've been ugly ... it could've ended badly - but it didn't. We found a fix to retrieve my original content and I found a temporary layout that suits me fine.

So for now, Lifepixels is sporting a new "do". It's not grandiose. It's not customized and is not entirely my personality - but it is fresh, green and sparkling (well, maybe it is a little like me ...)

[Almost forgot to thank hubby for letting me pick his creative brain - again. XO]

Blogger Dad

He did it! He took the plunge ... my 70-something father is now officially a blogger. And I couldn't be prouder. He has been writing feverishly for almost a year now ... recollections, reflections, stories about people he has known, loved and who made a difference in his life. He scoured his memory bank and meticulously recorded the details of important events and experiences that impacted him. As I have mentioned in earlier posts, the size of his commitment and the resulting stack of papers are nothing short of remarkable.

Since he handed over his work for me to peruse he mentioned that he was missing his daily ritual of writing. I encouraged him to keep writing and not let me hold him up. And so he kept on.

I got thinking about he loves to be learning new things, and has always shown a keen interest in reading my blog. So - I set him up with his very own. His story is worth telling -- sharing. Why hoard all those stories of eating whale blubber and raw caribou all to himself?

Anyway - look out blogosphere cause here comes my dad ...

Anti-social media

Today has been spent doing all things "social media". Most of it had to do with my job and the day started with a webinar on this very topic. The session lead to a lively discussion with my colleagues about the way we communicate - how it is changing - and what it all means.

Twittering.Blogging. Facebook. Wikis. The means of communicating online is endless - and instant. Maybe it's a little dangerous too. With a few keystrokes from our keyboard we can express our innermost feelings, reactions and opinions on an infinite number of topics. But express them to who? Quantity vs quality? Is it relevant? Who cares what I think on any given subject? What credibility do I have? Where is the context?

Why do I blog? I asked myself that very question when I first started my blog. It was a big step for me to share my writing -- with ??? Anyway, I write for myself - to express myself. I blog to exercise my writing muscle with unabashed abandon - a different exercise than the work writing. I write to stimulate and organize my thoughts.

It's ironic that all of this online communication is called social media. There really isn't anything social about it. It is impersonal at best -- we really don't know who we are communicating with - the individuals we engage with are strangers to us -- projecting personas of their own creation. I can see the attraction and appeal; we can be who we want to be online and have virtual conversations with people who we may share common interests with. Loneliness could be a thing of the past.

Anyway -- enough of the mindless meandering about social media. I have a blog to post to, Facebook profile to update and pictures to upload. And and on top of it all -- I am feeling anti-social!

What am I doing right now (in 140 characters or less)? Going to bed.