I have been thinking a lot about my experience as a blogger lately. Having a blog got me through some dark and lonely times. It is hard to remember the times before social media. The Sunday Salon was one of my favorite parts of the blogging ritual. I realize now that much of the community no longer blogs or no long participates. But I decided to write a salon post this week as homage to the memory of my active blogging days.
On Sundays I would get up and leisurely work on my Salon post, taking the time to ponder about the topics I had read about since the last time I posted and see if there was something that I could really tease out and discuss. This week I am preparing for finals and they are weighing heavily on my mind. I find it interesting though not surprising how all consuming university can be. Especially the amount of interest and focus certain topics demand, that suddenly feel less important the moment the test is taken, the paper is written, or the semester is over.
The function of blogging is unique. It is both public and private. And the thing that drives me to continue to write and share is the way that it serves as a reminder for myself. All of these small events and forgotten moments that had a place of meaning only a few years ago. I am frustrated with myself for not sticking with this medium over the past few years. I think sharing the experience of owning a bookstore could have been helpful and interesting to me. But I was constantly afraid that my blog would be found by people in my community and I wasn't interested in sugar coating things. It is weird being a public figure, even in a small town. I don't know how actual celebrities cope with it in anyway.
I have decided my goal to try and remember what reading and writing for myself felt like. While I am in school this is so easy to forget. And reading for work is like preparing a sales pitch. I remember the pure joy I felt toward a few sentence, a simple connection of ideas, or a fascinating word. I miss the sense of wonder I had while reading. I am hoping there is a way I can recapture it in some way.
On Sundays I would get up and leisurely work on my Salon post, taking the time to ponder about the topics I had read about since the last time I posted and see if there was something that I could really tease out and discuss. This week I am preparing for finals and they are weighing heavily on my mind. I find it interesting though not surprising how all consuming university can be. Especially the amount of interest and focus certain topics demand, that suddenly feel less important the moment the test is taken, the paper is written, or the semester is over.
The function of blogging is unique. It is both public and private. And the thing that drives me to continue to write and share is the way that it serves as a reminder for myself. All of these small events and forgotten moments that had a place of meaning only a few years ago. I am frustrated with myself for not sticking with this medium over the past few years. I think sharing the experience of owning a bookstore could have been helpful and interesting to me. But I was constantly afraid that my blog would be found by people in my community and I wasn't interested in sugar coating things. It is weird being a public figure, even in a small town. I don't know how actual celebrities cope with it in anyway.
I have decided my goal to try and remember what reading and writing for myself felt like. While I am in school this is so easy to forget. And reading for work is like preparing a sales pitch. I remember the pure joy I felt toward a few sentence, a simple connection of ideas, or a fascinating word. I miss the sense of wonder I had while reading. I am hoping there is a way I can recapture it in some way.
Comments
Post a Comment