Just things

I've been blogging a lot lately. Well, at least a lot for me. I remember when I got rejected from blogher.com because I didn't post frequently enough. I lurked through other blogs on their site and saw many that hadn't been updated for months on end, or frequent posters that wrote in-depth articles about the antics of their cats. The rejection sent me into "I'll show them" mode and I vowed to only write about things that mattered- things that would hopefully help someone, anyone. I keep writing for two main reasons: 1. This blog has been theraputic for me. And 2. Whenever I get an email from someone thanking me for helping them, it makes little hearts come out of my head.

My dear friend Karen Pery wrote a recent post that moved me. It was so simple, but yet a challenge for me to do my own. She quotes Jen Lemen:

…I think I should stick to a regimen of shallow self-disclosure in the spirit of old-school blogging. You know, the kind we had before we decided to try to make all of this mean something.

I feel confident that all ten of you will be just fine if I…

Don’t try to soothe or feed you.
Refuse to help or advise you.
Just tell you how I am every so often without taking on anyone’s future dreams or development.

So, taking the lead from Jen and Karen, I give you my own "Things":

Things I don’t know yet (except, of course, when I do)
If my son and daughter will have a close relationship when they grow up.
If we'll stay in California, or move out of state.
If I'll go back to graduate school.
What the topic of my first book will be.
If I will ever step on a scale again in my lifetime.

Things I'm learning
Patience.
How to slow down.
How to let go.
How to be an awesome coach.
How lucky I am to have such a great marriage.

Things I'm wishing for
Eternal happiness for my children
More time to myself
Big hair to be back in style
A housekeeper
All women to love themselves and their bodies unconditionally.( Wow, wouldn't that be awesome?)

Things that are getting on my nerves
My son's phase of getting up before the sun. Coming in my room at 4:30 am to tell me the big news: "Momma! The sun is still sleeping!"
The landscapers that always seem to know when I've put my kids down for a nap.

Things that scare me
Zombies (seriously).
Car accidents.
Drama.
Debt.

Things that are making me happy
My past relationships. As shitty as some of it was, I'm so happy it all happened.
Exercising for health.
My husband. I never knew how happy I could be having simplicity.
New friends. And watching my old friends grow up.
Seeing how much my son loves animals.
Getting to know myself.
My daughter's fierce attachment to me.

4 comments:

Stassja said...

I like this post. Short and simple I need to get back to blogging just to blog. I so enjoy it, and I get so bogged down in "I should write about this! And this and this and this and only after I write that and the other thing...and I've missed so much I'm so behind and someone else is already writing this thought better than me so why bother and UGH! Just write already, woman." Chances are very few of us have any totally unique thoughts so it's time to just write what we want. :)

Andrea said...

@Karen- Yep, I know when I'm not being "me" is when I become very serious about everything. Yuk.

@Stassja- One of the best pieces of advice I got from an author was, "Just start writing". That was it. I also get caught up in what I "should" write about, what everyone wants, and that I need to help people when I write. It's nice to not put an attachment onto what people will think.

Devyn said...

This is absolutely awesome. I was randomly thinking about things in my life today. Hmmm I like this and going to have to come up with my own and link and thank you too. Woohoo freedom!

Anonymous said...

I finally got around to doing this exercise. Seriously such a good exercise.

I liked the last category best, "Things that are making me happy." It was the most diffcult for me to find Things for, but I did.