The holidays are almost upon us. Things to do. Places to go. People to meet.
Because Z-D & I will be sort of busy and because I’m sort of tired of writing here, I’ve decided to put my blog on hold until after the beginning of next year. A short break from blogging sounds like a good idea to me right now.
But before I go, gentle readers, I’ll leave you with this charming video about– well… kindness, curiosity & joy. “Oskar, what did you do?”
random thoughts on a very dreary December morning…
~ We decorated the outside of our house this year. We don’t always do that, but this year we decided to put some lights on the bushes out front, a few wreaths on a few windows, and one long strand of lights wrapped around the deck railing out back. So far the decorations are surviving our record-breaking rainy weather without any prob. They’re all on pre-set timers, so they know what to do and when to do it. Wetness be damned.
~ After we decorated the outside of the house, we decided to put up a Christmas tree in our TV room. We don’t always do this every year either. Naturally the old lights that we had weren’t working, so Z-D drove over to Lowe’s and then Home Depot to buy a total of four boxes of the same GE multicolored lights to put on the tree. All of our ornaments from past years were in good shape, so we used them without buying anything new. The tree is pretty and colorful– the perfect antithesis to the bleak weather outside.
~ Most people who know me know that I’m not a fan of the holiday season. I tolerate it with gritted teeth and a quiet grace. I dislike the phoniness of it all. Too many people telling me too many ways in which they’re overwhelmed– by decisions that they freely made. Commitments they accepted for reasons they can’t explain, but will whine endlessly about fulfilling. To me, it seems like a time of faux friendship and forced frivolity. Not centering and joyful at all.
~ Zen-Den may be taking some vacation days at the end of the month. This will depend upon whether problems develop at work. We’ve made no formal plans to go anywhere, so if he does take the days off I think that we’ll be taking a staycation. Lunches out at some upscale restaurants that we like; a visit to the zoo to see the lights; a few rounds at our fav English pub. Nothing elaborate, just doing some fun things– because we want to.
[Hello FTC! As you may recall, I do not accept money or any other sort of graft for writing about any product. So you need not worry yourself about anything nefarious happening here on my sweet little bloggy. I like what I like– and I write about it because I want to write about it. Nothing more, nothing less. Just my opinion.]
Here are assorted musings on one topic. Make of them what you will.
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For the past few weeks I’ve made a point of reading new-to-me blogs– and then leaving a comment on the blog. I’ve found that I’m not alone in doing this. Many people have stopped by The Spectacled Bean for the first time during November and have left me a first time comment.
I appreciate that effort very much.
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I know that I’ve seen some bloggers write about how easy it is for them to visit someone else’s blog and toss out a comment. (Or to hit the “like” button available on some blogs.) For them interaction via comments is a given– and they do it as a matter of course without any hesitation.
I envy their ability to get involved so easily. I’m not like that at all.
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For me, an introvert, it takes a bit of effort to leave a comment on someone’s blog. Perhaps that’s how all introverts feel. I don’t know.
All I know is that I’m self-conscious about inserting myself into someone else’s life. My goal is to encourage with what I say in a comment, but I’m never entirely sure that I carry out my goal.
Good intentions, dubious results. Perhaps that’s the reality of all earnest people.
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I realize that there are always lots of people who lurk on my blog. Through my stats info I see you out there. You arrive here at the same time every day, from the same place, and stay long enough to read what I’ve written. But you never interact with me. I don’t take it personally– and honestly, I rarely even think about it. I understand that’s how some people consume blogs– detached and anonymously.
It’s safer that way.
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I’m always concerned that there will be a misunderstanding about what I say in a comment.
I try to be clear and specific in what I say in comments, but without visual clues there’s no way to know exactly how what I said is being received. And it’s this sense of vulnerability that slows me down when commenting. I want to tell my truth and I want to do it with grace– while honoring the thoughts of the blogger who has written the post in the first place.
It’s a delicate balance to do.
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As of today I’m one-third of the way through my commitment to post something on this blog every day this month.
√ I’m amazed by how easy it is for me to come up with ideas about what to write here each day. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised; I’m a generalist after all.
√ On the flip side, I’m worn out by the actual writing and posting of said ideas. Daily posting takes more time than you can possibly imagine– says the free spirit who usually keeps this blog on a more casual basis.
√ As per my desire to meet more bloggers, I’ve introduced myself to 10 bloggers who are also doing NaBloPoMo. Seven have stopped by here to say “hi!” right back. Good to know that there are other people who are willing to reach out and meet someone new.
√ The total word count on my posts to-date is: 2765. If I was doing NaNoWriMo, which asks a person to commit to writing a 50,000 word novel during the month of November, I’d be at the 16,667 word count mark by now. Clearly, I’m a blogger and not a novelist. A woman’s got to know her limits.
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[And the seven bloggers who have stopped by to say “hi” are: alejna – Jane – Kristen – Laura – Melisa – Polly – Zazzy. Click on a name. Meet someone new.]
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THE SPECTACLED BEAN 