Something in the air

 

 

There is something in the air in the blogging world. At least judging by the bloggers I read. It seems a few of us are getting disillusioned, downhearted and de-motivated regarding our blogs, including me. Although it’s not a nice feeling, I feel better when others mention they are feeling the same.

It reinforces for me, that

We are never alone

 

There is always someone else going through a similar experience.

I only know this because the bloggers said so, instead of pretending things were a-ok. And that’s what inspired this post. I feel more able to share my experiences with blogging, because someone else was brave enough to do it first.

Blogging is a funny thing, y’see. We write for an audience, even if no one reads it. We write to portray our lives, find our voice, share our message with the world, or follow a passion.

It can be incredibly hard work, but it can also be incredibly fulfilling, and that’s why I keep returning to my little space on the internet. Just some days, it’s harder than others.

As I say here I don’t believe in pursuing a beautiful life, because it feels like it’s always going to be one step ahead. I want to create a beautiful life, right here, right now. In creating something as profound as a life that I want to live, I will be on a journey, and there is a difference for me between a pursuit and a journey. The journey is the here, the now, and what happens on a day to day basis. A pursuit implies some sort of chase, and I don’t like the connotations that has.

A great post I read today mentioned that if we were already there (wherever we want to get to), our writing would in all honesty be boring. Mine would perhaps be gushing with beautiful stories and images and how oh-so-amazing everything is. If that was me reading a blog like that, I think I’d feel a little left out, a little like, well I won’t get there,  so why bother trying?

Instead, I would want to know how that person got there. How they created that beautiful life. All the ups and downs along the way. The challenges and the triumphs. I would want to see something I could relate to, an experience similar to mine, something that resonated with me.

One little niggling thing of mine is that I feel I can’t write about my journey until I have the direction figured out. Until I know what I’m doing. Only then do I feel comfortable actually doing it. With most things in life though, I’ve learnt how to do things, by doing them. It’s the best way to learn.

So I struggle with this blog, because I haven’t found a clear direction. I’ve figured out the mission statement for this blog, but quite honestly, I’ve little idea how I’m going to create this beautiful life that I believe is possible.

Sure, I have ideas that I’d like to try, learn and do, and see what happens. But I haven’t got a solution yet.

But. In order for this blog to be real, it’s time to drop the perfectionism, and start writing already. I am on a journey, and sometimes it won’t be pretty, and sometimes it will be amazing. Some days it will be hard, others it will be easier. Some days I will be highly strung and a nervous wreck, and other days I may reach the spaced-out calmness of meditation.

My life isn’t perfect. It’s been flippin’ hard at times, and I will continue to be faced with challenges. The ups and downs are what makes it interesting.

My purpose for being here is to share my journey, so others may stumble upon it, find something to relate to, and maybe feel a little less alone.

We are all trying to find our way through life, one experience at a time, and sometimes it helps to know someone has been there before.

The more stories there are, the more chance someone has of finding their way.

Some good posts from elsewhere on the tinterwebs (which inspired this post).

The Jest from Mel at Coal Valley View

Which linked to On blogging over at Knitsofacto

A quote from here:

"Of course lots of the pics posted in blogland give delight to others too, but the point I'm making is that even if they didn't, the posting of them remains important, perhaps even essential, for bloggers themselves. And although I think one of the most important and special aspects of blogging is the possibility of connection with others, there is also a place for blogging that preserves connections with ourselves and the days of our lives that we thread together, like beads on a string; sometimes in deliberate patterns and ordered arrangements; often haphazardly and accidentally and which, whether we like it or not, make up the history of our identity. And part of life's essential survival kit, I think, is remaining interested in that."

and this post from Jen at little birdie.

Reading these made me feel a bit more able to jump on in and get involved. I invite you to come along, share the journey, perhaps find your own way in the process. It’s so much better when there’s other people too.