I admit it, this morning when I woke up I felt a little relieved that I didn’t HAVE to put up a new blog post. After all, it’s December, and NaBloPoMo has ended for another year. I could just rest on my laurels and not give it another thought.
Sounds good, right? Just kick back and let the internet Gods do their thing, sending over readers as they see fit. I don’t have a problem with that. After all, I write just to get stuff out of my brain, hopefully freeing up space so I can function in my day to day life with a decent amount of clarity.
But then I got the itch. The itch to login and blog. After 31 straight days of blogging (after all, I had to write about Charlie Brown, even if it was December) I couldn’t just let it go today. So here I am.
Nothing profound has happened today. No earth-shattering revelations, no ground breaking ideas, no momentous occasions have crossed my path. It’s just plain old me and my keyboard.
I hope you’re not disappointed. I hope you don’t mind my ramblings. I hope that you forgive me my indulgence. I’m at it again, whether I planned on it or not.
I just came from a cooking home-party, where several women got together and made a delicious meal with a dessert. The whole point of the event was to sell the various cooking tools and utensils, and for me, at least, it was a success. I know that I can get by without using the exact tool, but in many cases having the right tool for the job makes the process not only smoother, but more successful.
This lesson can be applied across the board, not just in cooking. Of course there are extreme examples, such as the carpenter who tried to hammer nails with his screwdriver, but in real-life the examples are usually more subtle.
I think about my students who often don’t have the right tools to approach a particular problem. It’s my job as their teacher to equip them, but only after their parents have done the lion’s share of the job. They need to have a certain level of curiosity as well as a healthy dose of perseverance in order to be successful. They have to be open to making mistakes and be able to collaborate with others. A dose of self-control and a willingness to listen to others are necessary tools for learning. I can help develop those tools, but some children are clearly better equipped than others.
Then I think about my personal goal of improving my health through better eating and more movement. What tools do I need there? First, I need the knowledge of how to feed myself properly. I have plenty of resources in that department, so I think I’m set there. Then I need support and motivation. I find these waxing and waning, and I need to develop ways to keep them both high. I also need tools to get me moving. Again, motivation is a big one. Maybe a nice new pair of sneakers will help? Perhaps a Fitbit? I’ve been toying with the idea of both, but realistically I know that it has to come from within.
And what about writing? Do I have the tools there? Well, yes and no. I have the tools to be a decent blogger. I have ideas, I have this blog, and I know how to put out posts that people occasionally respond to. I can string words together into sentences, and sentences together into thoughts. I have some knowledge, a few ideas, a laptop, and a platform, so yes, I have the tools.
But what about other writing challenges? Do I have what it takes for those? I’m not sure. Again, I think the biggest obstacle is motivation. I’ve got a fear of failure, or maybe a fear of success, I haven’t decided which yet. I have great support and terrific resources to develop as a writer, now I just need more time and better focus. Wouldn’t it be nice if those were available through a home-party? I’d be the first one to sign up.
Disclaimer: I am NOT famous in South America or anywhere else.
In spite of the disclaimer above, I’m feeling pretty much like a blogging superstar, South American style. Why? Because the little map that shows me where my blog visitors hail from has most of South America colored in today. What does that mean? Not a whole lot.
What it means is that at least one person in Brazil and at least one person in Argentina happened to click on BulgingButtons on the very same day. Since Brazil and Argentina are the two largest countries in South America, it looks like I’m pretty popular across the continent.
Add that to the inflated ego I get when at least one person in Canada clicks on the blog. After all, the U.S. is pretty much a given, so throw Canada into the mix and North America is well represented. And if Russia shows up? Wow. Just, wow.
It’s all complete nonsense, but part of the fun of blogging is reaching out to a worldwide audience. I don’t know if there are actual people in South America reading, or if they’re bots, but I like to think that they’re people like me who enjoy an entertaining blog now and then.
I don’t write to grow a large audience, or to get tons of international hits. I write because there are words and ideas inside of me that need somewhere to go. Still, if you show me a world map with lots of countries colored in, I’m going to get excited. After all, I’m a superstar.
BulgingButtons 