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One of my favorite sermons was by Marilyn Sewell of the First Unitarian Universalist Church in Portland, Oregon. She told the story of a farming convention coming to small town. Someone with the convention was calling farmers to convince them to attend. He was explaining to one farmer the topics that would be covered how he could increase his yield and make more money. Then he asked the farmer, "Don't you want to know how to farm better?" And the farmer said "I already know how to farm better. I just choose not to." This is the sermon that has helped me most when blogging...
Ms. Sewell said this is what makes us human beings so interesting. We know we need to eat less to loose weight. We know we need to spend less and save for expensive items. We know not to date the guys our Moms warned us about. But in day-to-day living none of these decisions is isolated, it's part of a bigger experience and finding a path through it all isn't as simple as knowing the list of things you are supposed to do.
I was supposed to go to BlogHer 08, but I already know how to blog better. I know I need to come up with more of a direction and a purpose in my posts, giving readers more of a reason to come back or subscribe. I know I need to write more often and comment more on other blogs. I know I need to do social networking and have more than one blog crush (Queen of Spain will always be my first). I know I need to add giveaways or contests on a weekly basis and maybe add a podcast.
But I choose not to. Because I want to take Baby Girl to Amy's Ice Creams on a hot afternoon and watch her pure joy as she nearly stands up in the stroller, getting her face as close to the ice cream as possible, squealing with delight. I want to email with Noel who is away at camp and learn what life is like in the second-to-oldest cabin. I want to talk with my husband about the latest Stephen Colbert Report and imagine our next house. I want to keep my day job so we can pay for the next house. I want to spend time with family who is in town and plan a topic for my church class tomorrow. And sometimes I just want to sit on the couch and watch a little TV.
I should name my blog "It is what it is." It isn't fancy. It is just what I'm thinking and what moves me and what I hope is sometimes interesting.
I want to write a book in 5-10 years about a personal experience. I don't know which experience yet. Maybe it has already happened, maybe it will happen tomorrow. But until I know more about it, I want to practice writing about my personal experiences and that is why I blog. It's a little step. It will lead to more little steps. Maybe over time it will be more fancy.
For now it is a small part of a bigger path that has so many parts. So I don't feel like I need to do all the things that bloggers do. Does anyone else feel this way? That there is a pressure to play the game to be a big blog, but that isn't what is right for you?
