Tag Archives: blogging

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Who’s Coming to Blissdom?

Tomorrow the Blissdom Conference begins. I’ll be going for the first time. And for an extrovert like me, that is really exciting! Remember, for us, strangers are only friends that we haven’t made yet.

But, I’m wondering. Am I really an extrovert—like I used to be? Because I’m feeling a little scared about Blissdom.

It’s my understanding that Blissdom is a conference primarily for women bloggers and writers. (I’m am a TOTAL wanna-be when it comes to this camp.)

This is a demographic that has grown exponentially over the past few years.

There are going to be a LOT of people there. A lot of extremely TALENTED people! That’s intimidating.

The strange thing about this gathering is that most of these women, myself included, are semi-friends, we’re semi-aware of each other. Emphasis on SEMI. We’re neither strangers, nor friends.

You see, we probably follow each other on Twitter, and read some of each other’s blogs. The only thing is, that when you follow hundreds, if not thousands, of people on Twitter it’s impossible to keep them all straight. We have to pick and choose which blogs we read and which Tweets we respond to—all the while becoming friends.

It’s really a strange, unique way to build relationships.

It’s especially challenging because many have different Twitter names from their actual names. That can get very confusing and frustrating when you’re trying to put names and faces together. (Read here to consider changing that practice: http://snipurl.com/8mistakes.)

And then there’s this: I may be much more familiar with you, even to the extent that I know all about you—your families, your struggles, your dreams—and you may not know who I am AT ALL. That is really strange.

But, it goes with the territory.

So, rather than focus on how ‘weird’ it is, I’m choosing to embrace it, see the possibilities and opportunities within it, and accept it as a new way of connecting with people.

It’s still a little scary and definitely out of my comfort zone—I didn’t even know I had a zone for this—but very exciting at the same time.

So, here’s what I’d like to do: I want to find out who’s coming to Blissdom.

Whom do I know, semi-know or who is truly a complete stranger to me?

I think knowing this will help a bit. We’ll see.

Question: I’m coming to Bilssdom. Are you?

What’s your real name, twitter name and blog name?

Remind me if we ‘know’ each other or if you’re just a stranger  … i.e. a friend I haven’t made yet.

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Habits: Like well worn paths…

It’s times like this when I wish I had more habits under my belt. I feel overwhelmed and out of sorts. Not sure which way to turn or what to do first. Habits make it possible to just act without much thinking. Habits are like well worn paths to get you where you need to go when you can’t see the forest for the trees.

I don’t have to think about getting up in the morning and getting dressed. I don’t have to think about flossing and brushing my teeth at night because they are habits. Thankfully I have the habit of making my bed each morning—it took me about 25 years of marriage to get that one under my belt. I don’t seem to have too much problem washing the clothes and putting them away anymore.

I have a few habits in my life that are still “in process.” Setting aside a special time for prayer and Scripture reading are foundational to my well-being, but I still struggle with consistency in these areas. I’ve got feeding-the-dog down now and am working on mastering cleaning the kitchen sink each night before bed.

Habits which have been particularly hard to nail down are ones like putting the dry cleaning outside for pickup every Monday and Thursday, exercising everyday, and writing my World Vision children on a regular basis. I sent them Easter cards—the ones provided by WV—but have not written any letters since Christmas.

Two of the most stubborn habits for me to master are keeping up with my email, keeping my inbox to zero (don’t tell my husband but I have 1459 messages in my inbox), and blogging regularly. I really would like to be blogging more. There is a lot of fascinating things I know would make great blog posts, but I just can’t seem to get off the dime. I just don’t seem to have the energy to get started. I haven’t developed the habit to see me through.

When life is interrupted, becomes very stressful, and your “reserves” are spent, habits come in very handy.

Everything for me, right now, seems like such a major effort. A lot of challenges have come my way all at once. (For some reason the Lenten Season is often filled with an extra dose of trials.) Many of my friends and some of my family are going through very difficult circumstances and I want to be there to support and encourage them as much as I can.

I also have two sick children at home who’ve needed a lot of extra attention. My husband‘s been traveling a lot in the last month, so my backup hasn’t been here. It seems like I’m the one shouldering the load. It’s really beginning to drain me. Our youngest, Marissa, has a horrible case of Mono. She came home from college for Spring break and should have gone back on March the 13th. Here it is the 26th, she is still home and I think she’ll have another week here, at least. Our second youngest, Madeline is having major surgery this coming Monday. The two of us have gone to doctor’s appointments, one after another, for several weeks now. Talk about exhausting.

I’ve noticed that when my resources are depleted I fall back on my habits, the good ones and the bad ones. It’s in times like these that I wish I had a lot more good ones. I’m glad for the good habits that are well engrained. As for the others, I must pay attention to how I feel right now knowing that they COULD have been available to me IF ONLY I had been more faithful to develop them. For now, all is not lost however. I have my family and friends to gently prod me to do the things which need to be done. (I hope it’s gentle)

My Twitter friend, Peter Pollock, has nudged me from time to time to keep blogging. Today he gave me a BIG push by mentioning me on his blog. I was honored but simultaneously embarrassed because those who will come to my site through his will not see anything new I’ve written since March the 1st—except, now for this post. Truth is, I want to do better, not because I’m succumbing to peer pressure but, because writing/blogging is something I really do want to do. I wish the habit of writing was already well rooted in me. But … it’s not.

So, I’ve been gently prodded to post today. That’s OK. Whatever it takes, for now. Thanks for your encouragement, Peter. Maybe someday I won’t need to be prodded. Maybe someday it will be a habit.

“Habits are safer than rules; you don’t have to watch them. And you don’t have to keep them either. They keep you.”
Frank Crane

QUESTION: What habits do you know you should be working on, but keep avoiding? Which ones will be the best, well-worn paths to help you get where you need to be?


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Thumbnail Photos For Your Posts

gravatar-logo-thumbI am a Kindergartner when it comes to computer technology. Over the last few days I have learned a lot and may even be ready for the First Grade. Yipee! One of the areas I have learned about—which for you Second Graders is SO last year—is how to get a thumbnail photo to appear when you leave a comment on someone’s blog post.

I love to see who is leaving the comments after other people’s posts. Now that I have a blog of my own, I especially want to see who is talking to me. And I love when there is a face to go with the name. Sadly, many of the comments that have been left on my site have no face. (When someone doesn’t have a customized photo, or “avatar,” WordPress calls them Mystery Men.) So, for all you “Mystery Men” out there I’m going to show you how I got my avatar two days ago so you can get one, too.

By the way, you will need two thing before you begin. You will need an email address and a photo. So go to your photos and pick out one you’d like to use and remember where it is. You will need to “choose” it during the process.

Here is what I have learned from Gravatar, the company who makes them:
 

 

What is a gravatar?

A gravatar, or globally recognized avatar, is quite simply an avatar image that follows you from blog to blog appearing beside your name when you comment on gravatar enabled sites. Avatars help identify your posts on web forums, so why not on blogs?

 

How do I get a gravatar?

Signing up for a gravatar.com account is FREE, and all that’s required is your email address. Once you’ve signed up you can upload your avatar image and soon after you’ll start seeing it on gravatar enabled blogs!

Sign up now!

 

So there you have it. It’s easy. Gravatar walks you through the process step by step. Give it a try. If you can’t do it, no problem, I’ll  enjoy having a little mystery in my life.

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Consistency: My Greatest Personal Strength

n604922829_509432_1437After reading the title for this post, I know you’re jealous. Everyone knows that consistency is the key to everything. Well, I’ve got this one nailed. Consistency is my greatest personal strength. I am consistently starting over.

So here I am again—same show, different location. Starting over. This is my second attempt at keeping a blog. The last one I began in July of 2007. I had one post that year. Yep, one post. My second post showed up in May of 2008. There were a total of five posts that year, the last of which was in July of 2008. One solid year with six posts.

I’m not sure why I have such a hard time being consistent with new projects, but it’s been the story of my life. If I had been born within the last 20 or 30 years I’m sure I would have been diagnosed with ADD. I have such a hard time staying focused. But I’m not satisfied with staying that way. I’m starting over. Today. Fresh. Sort of like a person who really wants to quit smoking, I’m not giving up. I believe in the old adage: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”

I really do want to write, if for no other reason than to bring some clarity to my own thinking—to bring focus into my life. I like it when I am focused because it means that I am living in the present moment. And the present moment is the only place where I can come face-to-face with the living God. To just be with him. To hear his voice. To receive his love. To discover his treasures.

If you’re on a treasure hunt, and you really want to find a treasure, you can’t be regretting what went wrong yesterday or afraid of what might happen tomorrow, you have to have your eyes wide open to what’s directly in your sight. Each of your five senses have to be on high alert so not to miss a single clue. That’s how I want to live my life—on a perpetual treasure hunt. Come join me.

P.S. I’m not sure how long it will take me to post another post, but don’t give up on me. I’m very consistent.

[The photo above is of my grandaughter, Ellie. After eating all of her ice cream one day, she turned the remaining cone into a telescope. She's on the lookout, too.]