My house is in chaos. The heating has been (almost) replaced, but the holes in the wall remain, and the carpenters are hammering and plastering and rebuilding cupboards open to the attic as I speak. The large radiators will be delivered and installed (I hope) today, and the last heat testing will be done. Again, I hope. The plumber doing the bathroom is calling later to discuss details. The first windows, and doors and fascia boards are done, and the front of the house will be sorted tomorrow, as in bay windows, door etc.
And access to this computer has been impossible. There will be photos too, people. I like to share the chaos. The hair remains on end, the house needs to be ENTIRELY redecorated, and my daughter has been dangling from the rafters all weekend, painting the kitchen. Brilliantly.
We will get there.
Breathe, Linds.
I am the eternal optimist.
However, the body is creaking mightily. I cannot stand the nest begin disturbed. So I have totally overdone everything. And then today marks the 8th anniversary of the death in this family which changed absolutely everything. Eight years, my friends. Eight.
And that means that it is over 8 years since I started blogging.
I have been reading a couple of things recently, referring to those days and how much they are missed by some of us. Yes. Me too. They were good times. In a sense, it is like looking back at the 50s, in terms of the Internet. The innocent times, where we only wanted to connect, communicate, be among people we could learn from, exchange ideas, help, get involved with on our blogs. Before the days of monetisation, stats and book deals.
And youth.
The young ones once grinned benignly at the thought of blogging, especially Mums blogging. And then those young ones suddenly woke up and the rest is history. They took over the internet. Youth generally does this, as it is the way the world works. Old out, new in. Just look at the ages of politicians. After the last European thingy, I googled them all. 30 something. Mainly 47. Hmmm.
Anyway.
The young ones arrived and suddenly it all changed. It was impossible to actually communicate with them, because their focus was on different things, in a sense. Comments were never acknowledged. There was no way to communicate privately and all of a sudden, it was like fan mail. I remember writing to pop stars in my youth. They never answered themselves either, but got secretaries to do it all.
To be honest, when you have comments in the thousands, there is no way on God's green earth that you can answer them all, now can you??
But what I am trying to say is that the ESSENCE of blogging - that personal connection disappeared.
And we are responsible for that, you know.
We took our eyes off the people we had become close to, and eyed the new ones with a little awe and a whole lot of suspicion, and then we rolled over and died. Those of us who were here 8 years ago know what I am talking about. The saddest thing is that some of those lovely women blogging back then just sort of faded away from the blogging world. And this is what I actually wanted to say at the start before I got side-tracked, as I always do........ There is and always has been room for everyone. I think the worst possible development was when those who had been around a while started comparing themselves and their blogs to the new ones, and we ALL KNOW that comparisons are odious, now don't we??? We do indeed.
There was no need.
Everyone has a voice. And everyone has the space to use it here on this great big wonderful on-line world. And after a year or so of fumbling blindly along the path of life, I am reclaiming my spot. I am going nowhere. This is my corner, and I just want to be among friends - if I could ever work out why the Blogger reading list is refusing to list recent posts that would help. Or maybe I need to export my list to somewhere more helpful. Girls? Help?
I may talk about things more later.
Progress, people. I don't always love it. And the carpenters need tea and coffee.
PS: I think about some of the absent bloggers a great deal, you know. I wonder if they are okay, how their children are doing, where they are. I care about them. Facebook is not the answer to everything. You can't tell stories on Facebook, can you......
9 comments:
Linds, these are meaningful words and they resonate with me.
I have not been reading blogs as long as you have been writing yours, but the fact is - when I moved to Switzerland I was looking for a place to belong and I found it thru reading blogs. There are a few I read faithfully and comment to, and they enrich my life.
Yours is one!! Thanks for sharing your life with us :-)
I hope you can rest a little while the big process of renovation is going on at your lovely nest.
Thanks for blogging!
Eight years. In a way it seems even longer than that, Linds. You will be in my thoughts today.
Yikes, it does sound like there is a "bit" of chaos there. It will be lovely when it is finished and you will be thrilled when the cold sets in.
I do miss the "old" bloggers. It is all part of the change in our lives, I guess.
I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of the work in your house. I cherish the fact that I can actually visualize it in my mind, having been there.
So many times I've wanted to blog again but it just doesn't come anymore. I still check on yours faithfully.
Becky
Yes. Agreed. I have a list a mile long of bloggers who just walked off one day and that's it. Once I even thought you were on that list so it goes to show that there is hope.
Hang in there! It'll all be so wonderful when put back to order. Just imagine how lovely warmth will be on that first truly chilly autumn day.
I have indeed missed your writing, my friend. It niggles me in the direction of writing more than the (almost) monthly post myself. I miss the talks we used to have as well. How about a Skype sometime? (if I can figure out how to use it again!)
I have been reading your blog almost from the beginning, I too have stopped blogging. I have the urge to start again. Facebook just doesn't have have the same closeness as blogging.Most of the blogs I read have either went private or stopped altogether. Time to put on my big girl panties and start over.I blogged to keep up with life events and daily living,not for someone else.Time to start again!! Thanks for the reminder!
I hope you get your house back soon,and its the way you want it!!
Donna
I too have been blogging for over 8 years - I started when I was pregnant with my smallest person and she has just turned 8. I have no interest in the "big bloggers" and like you I miss the smaller, friendlier blogging community of old. I am afraid I lost my blogging voice as life got so much busier and I am making an effort to find it again by starting afresh in a new space. I am also making a concerted effort to start commenting more on blogs - a combination of using a feed reader and lack of time make it too easy to skim read and not communicate. (Kathryn / Bookworm)
I echo your thoughts, dear Linds in regards to the lost art of early blogging and the truth of your last comment as well. Facebook is not and never will be the place to tell stories. If blogging is a peek into someone's world, Facebook is a tiny snapshot of that world.
As to the eight year mark, I will be holding you up in my prayers and asking The Lord to fill up that void with more of Himself. Good to read your thoughts, friend.
I know I'm one of those absent bloggers. I hope to get back to it. No need for more pics of the dog playing in the snow :). I'm with Susan M. in that blogging really helped me feel connected to the "outside world" when living in Switzerland. And it was a personal sort of Blog and I put myself out there from time to time. Moving back to the States was emotional, an upheaval, an adjustment and communication had changed as did 'my' sense of freedom in what I could communicate without being questioned or judged. A job change and another big move just added to the chaos in my head and heart and how does one gracefully communicate these without causing concern in some quarters - it's life. Thus the posts became bland (to my reading)and I need to establish how best to write and communicate in this current age of 'sharing' technology. I always enjoy a good read on your site and hope I'll have another of my own but I won't put a timeframe on it! :)
Post a Comment