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100th post, Blogger, bloggers, Centenarian, community, followers, friends, readers, Wordpress
A recent comment conversation with fellow blogger, Nel of Directionally Impaired, sparked the idea for my 100th post. Yes, it is true. I am a centenarian! I had no idea what to expect when I hit the “post” button for the first time on Blogger in February of 2010. I hadn’t read many blogs. Having been exposed to much dreadfully poor writing on the Internet, I feared the potential mediocrity of blogosphere.
I have discovered quite the opposite in my small world of bloggers. Rather than mediocrity I have met wonderful storytellers, poets, essayists, philosophers, and explorers. I have met people with different values who write about their views without braggadocio or self-righteousness. Perhaps most fascinating to me is the opportunity to communicate with people half way around the globe. One blogger friend alluded to this as an expansion of pen pal days in grade school. But it is so much more than pen pal frivolity. We see deeply into each other’s lives through posts and images. We explore and prod delicate issues that cut to the very quick of who we are. Amazingly, this has all happened without acrimony. I have been uniquely blessed. None of the nastiness that sometimes erupts in the comment section has hit me….yet. (I’ve probably jinxed myself now.)
The normal process of transitioning from acquaintance to friend requires time to build trust. Time speeds up, somehow, through the world of blogging. Perhaps it is because we communicate without the clutter of face-to-face noise. Sitting across the table from someone, we see their exterior. Our eyes register obvious but meaningless details: hair, clothes, skin texture, beauty, ethnicity, in a word—difference. No matter how hard we try to focus on the conversation, Those unavoidable observations set up a background buzz.
In print, the noise disappears. We focus on what the person says. Invariably I find people who share my worries, my joys, my annoyances. Essentially we are all the same collection of organs, bones, muscles, and skin. If you strip away the details of our individual cultures, history, education, and belief systems, we are all composed of the same human needs, desires, and mundane daily functions. Living is a complicated endeavor. When someone in India shares with me the joys and the complications of life, we are both humanized. Each of us grows in the magical exchange of human similarities and multi-faceted cultural differences.
Of course, I realize there are potential dangers to this feeling of camaraderie. Predators prowl the Internet like fleas looking for a host. Text can be a manipulative tool. Unable to look into a person’s soul through their eyes, we may miss important clues. A false sense of security can lead us into a hidden trap.
But I trust my instincts. The people I have connected with are kind, caring, and real. I have come to love and treasure them in a way normally reserved for close friendships. I care about their feelings and their daily challenges. I cherish the new worlds that I am exposed to through blogging. I have found a community of people whom I would love to meet over a cup of coffee, but whom I don’t need to meet because we have already connected spiritually.
Besides dear Nel, whose blog has inspired me to consult a map of the world, here are a handful of bloggers whom I could also call friends:
- At Partial View, Priya lets me peer at a new world through her unique looking glass. Her prose and storytelling captivate me and whisk me off to places I have never been and will probably never physically experience. My horizon expands through her images and words. Thank you, Priya, for sharing your world with me and for so kindly encouraging my efforts as well.
- Charles at Mostly Bright Ideas is a master storyteller whose keen writing skills raise the bar for blogging excellence. He has gained so many followers during the past six months, that I am amazed and honored when he finds the time and energy to read and respond to my measly offerings. I’ll soon be the proud owner of a published anthology of his posts.
- Souldipper lives north of the border. Our cultures are similar, yet subtly different. Souldipper’s perspectives often emanate from a higher plane than my own mundane earth-tied mindset. I enjoy stretching the limits of my imagination to learn from her.
- Though I could probably be Merry’s grandmother, we share the same concerns about the welfare of the planet and our responsibility to treat animals with grace and respect. I love her curiosity and commitment to living lightly on the planet. Merry writes I wish I could…but I don’t want to from her current home in Spain.
- I haven’t been following Sandra at Island Monkey long enough to summarize her blog style. But the fact that she is a German living in England fascinates me. My grandmother was a Brit who lived for several years in Germany.
- I could travel across town to visit the Snoring Dog Studio yet I choose the Wordpress portal. SDS is another talented artist who illustrates each of her posts with her amazing watercolor paintings. I love her for her acerbic wit, her vociferous defense of her admirable values, and for her ability to laugh at her own human foibles.
- Dia also lives across town from me. Her Curious World of the Odd and Unmentionable provides endless opportunities for personal growth and understanding. In another culture, I am convinced Dia would be a Shaman.
- Then there’s Dinkerson over at Flight of Reason whose world view is the diametric opposite of mine, yet who articulates his ideas beautifully and with logic rather than rancor. Plus I enjoy his photography.
The list goes on. It is difficult and unfair to select only a few. As you can see, I am blessed by wonderful connections. I intended to keep writing and reading and expanding my knowledge of humanity and the world outside my door. Thank you, dear readers and followers, for patiently watching me explore and occasionally throwing out a rope when I seem to have reached the end of my own.
And on a final note, I will leave you with Val Erde’s image and poetry from July 2010. It has taken me this long to rise to her challenge of writing something inspired by her painting. I dedicate this post and the friendships it honors to Val’s Leap into the Vortex of Friends Around The World.
norell208 said:
I,m impressed by how many blogs you do, and ones that I can tell have had a lot of thought put into them. Congratulations!
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rangewriter said:
Thanks, Rae Ann. I still spend more time getting the darn things posted than I do writing them. Grrr.
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Val said:
Wow! This is fabulous – I’d not thought that my picture might spark anything more than a bit of poetry, but you – and a few others, in their own ways – have done me proud. Thank you. 🙂 Thank you also for your kind words and – I’ve never been referred to as a philosopher. That’s something to ponder upon…
What a lovely post. I know most of the people’s blogs you’ve mentioned but, in due course, shall explore those that are currently unknown to me. 🙂
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rangewriter said:
So Val, does the image actually show up? I don’t know what the problem is but I spent two hours last night fiddling with this post. And this morning, I look at it and there is nothing but a place holder where the image should be. I don’t get it. I saved as a jpeg to my hard drive then uploaded the way I normally do. Sometimes WP baffles me!
Since I’m no poet, this is the best I could do, so I’m glad you’re happy with the connection.
Funny how we don’t see ourselves the way others see us…I think you’re a philosopher. Come to think of it, aren’t most poets philosophers? If that is, philosophers are searching for meaning deep within the heart of things?
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Val said:
It shows up fine, Linda. Thanks.
(An email will be with you shortly about something else…)
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Sandra Parsons said:
Congratulations, Linda, to your 100th post. You are truly an inspiration! I am awed and honoured that you mentioned my baby of a blog and I promise to try and keep you entertained – you and everyone else in the blogosphere who might be interested.
I am so new to this but I have exactly the same sentiments on how easy it is to make friends here, how benevolent the atmosphere is, and how many amazingly talented writers, photographers and other artists are around.
By the way, I am struggling with the picture thing as well, but so far it has always worked out in the end.
Keep going RW, I am waiting impatiently for post number 101.
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rangewriter said:
Thanks, Sandra. Glad to know it’s not just me struggling with WP. There are many wonderful options on the site, but I wouldn’t call it user-friendly.
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Nandini said:
Congrats 🙂
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rangewriter said:
Thanks Nandini!
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Nel said:
I am honored to be on your list, RW. The pleasure of reading your blog has been immense and consistently thought-provoking. I find myself thinking more often now (as opposed to before when I would just be plain blank during downtime). I look forward to a hundred and more of your posts.
In agreement to what you’ve said, blogging is subtly similar to pen pal writing. The difference stands in how quickly the ideas get across and how topics range; yet still underlining our common humanity and humanness.
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rangewriter said:
Nel, I can’t picture you ever being blank. I think there are always interesting ideas rumbling around in your head. I always appreciate your comments or just letting me know you’ve stopped by for a peek.
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Snoring Dog Studio said:
Awwwwww. Thank you, dear Linda. I adore your blog for its diverse meanderings and your unique observations and for the passion you have for the landscape around you. I come to your blog to be delighted and to relax.
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rangewriter said:
And I come to your blog to get fired up and laugh in the process!
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merry203 said:
Lovely post, and thanks for mentioning me in it.
I hope I become a centenarian soon, but on my way there, I’ll look for inspiration out there and in your blog and comments =)
Keep the good work!! =)
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rangewriter said:
You’re off to a booming start, Merry, and I’m glad I was lucky to find you right at the beginning so I can watch you grow and explore.
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Dia said:
Great post Linda!! And congratulations! You really took me down memory lane with this. Who would have thought that such a fascinating, diverse, intimate world existed right at the tip of our fingers, if only we stuck with it long enough to wade through all the technical difficulties? (Aaaaaah!!!) You’ve created a beautiful part of that world here, insightful, beautiful, and reassuring. You never cease to amaze me the way you tackle the toughest of subjects with such respect and care that it actually encourages conversation rather than inflames. You’re a skilled and thoughtful writer who’s work I turn to again and again for nourishing both my mind and my heart. Thanks so much for your blogging friendship and I, too, am looking forward to the next 100!!
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rangewriter said:
Ha, Dia, you’re as eloquent with your comments as you are on your own blog. I never think anything I produce is beautiful or insightful. But if you find those things, I am honored. Isn’t it weird how we never see what others see? In our physical presence or in our work. The painting is gorgeous, isn’t it. Unfortunately, Val is reworking her blog sites and I’m not sure where she’ll be showing up. This is only one of many really lovely creations she has posted.
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Dia said:
It is strange how much harder it is to see ourselves objectively. Although perhaps not so strange. I think of the difference in perception between standing above and looking down through the water’s surface into submerged worlds, then swimming below and looking up through the surface into the world of air. I wonder if that’s what it’s like as we look at each other…catching glimpses into our different worlds that are so surprising and strange and wonderful and illuminating to look at, with absolutely no way to see what our world looks like through those other eyes.
Except sometimes…sometimes…through comments on our blogs. 🙂
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rangewriter said:
Wow! As always, Dia, you come up with analogies that visualize ideas better than anyone I know!
Speaking of visualizing, after watching this video, [ http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=9xwCG0Ey2Mg ] my friend and I puzzled over how a blind person “visualizes.” If you’ve been blind since birth, what goes on in the portion of your brain where the rest of us conjure up images? For practically every noun or verb, you and I can associate an image. Can you imagine understanding what a drill team routine looks like if you’ve never seen one?
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Dia said:
PS. Outrageous painting! Took my breath away…
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souldipper said:
One Hundred…congratulations, RW. The Blogosphere really is a great world. I thoroughly enjoy your writings and photos – so glad to connect. I like having blog visits because I always come away feeling as though I have been in the company of a very decent human being.
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souldipper said:
P.S. I want to add a comment about Val’s painting. Is that ever exquisite. Look at the folds, the shine, the softness and all the glorious colour. Wow. I have visited her art site and enjoyed her work, but this is really special.
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rangewriter said:
Why thank you! And the feeling is mutual. I feel like I’ve met a lot of really decent human beings through this venture. To say nothing about the immense talent, whooee!
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dinkerson said:
My goodness. I had no idea that you had mentioned me until just now. I’ll first say, thank you very much for mentioning me, and for your kind words.
I too have been thinking about writing something on the community that has found me here on wordpress. This seems to sum it up, however, and I don’t think that I could or should add anything to what you’ve already said here.
Great post… makes me happy that I was vainly searching my own name! 🙂
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rangewriter said:
You know, Dink (hope you don’t mind me calling you that…;-) I stupidly thought that every time I referenced another blogger with their blog address in one of my posts, that they would get a pingback or something like that. But apparently not. I probably should notify each person individually if I’ve referenced them. I’m glad you let me know that you hadn’t received any notification of this. Over 100 posts behind me and I still don’t know what I’m doing. Go figure. Anyway, our mutual admiration society is fun. Thanks for following and commenting when moved to do so.
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