this is one of them ' i am throwing this out there because i will do just about anything to clear up my brain ' posts. That would have made more grammatical sense with hyphens correctly applied....but. Still. there 'tis.
Blogging, when done properly, can function to empty one's head (hah - you thought there was an upper limit on how empty my head can get, dintcha? ;-) AND entertain.
Unless you typically get your yuks laughing at the befuddled, I don't know how much entertainment value can be found here. Happily, there is a meaningful dialogue that showed up on on facebook that IS worth pondering. Maybe Even worth reading. (er, you would be the judge of that one....)
A friend of mine - for Quite a long time now!! - has been discussing the 'easy way out'. And how annoyed he was with himself (he's a bit of a study in understatement, unlike Yours Truly) because he'd thought to go out photo-shooting, and found himself deterred by the crappy weather and his physical state - tired and grumpy (if I am remembering this correctly.) Despite his correct intuition about how great a waterfall would look, he packed it in. And later saw someone ELSE's photo of that waterfall online. Looking as good as he himself imagined it would have.
He then bruised his foot kicking himself in the rear for....not kicking himself in the rear, I imagine. In fact, he took the whole missed-adventure as a place to examine taking - what he calls - 'the easy way out' instead of taking 'worthwhile risks'.
While I am frankly envious of anyone who addresses that whole 'unexamined life' problem, I say that he doesn't recognize Enough of his risks - he writes plays, for example. I consider that 'throwing oneself to the wolves', to be honest. How the hell much risk does he need?
On the other hand, by putting this discussion out there, he is using his disappointment at the missed shot to help us all remember that setting the bar a little higher doesn't hurt (much) and usually helps.
What a good guy he is.
I admire his instincts, and will - grudgingly - raise the bar myself this afternoon. I'd plotted out a day of furious box-emptying, meal planning and prep, and about 45 minutes in my shiny, unused, soaking tub. EIGHTEEN DAYS here in the new place. and I haven't been in once.
The CATS have explored that gorgeous tub more than I have.
However, I will raise the bar by reviewing some paperwork I'd forgotten about, make a list of things we need from the store to accomplish that attempt at more 'home cooking', and spend as much time playing with my daughter as being hard at work. But in order to get that bar hefted off the ground, I really need to get my fingers off the keyboard, and get breakfast goin' for my son. And, considering that if I Don't raise the bar.....
I'll probably just bang my head into it.
Right.
Off I go. (****ducks. waves****) You go too.
Have a really lovely day ;-)
S.
Blogging, when done properly, can function to empty one's head (hah - you thought there was an upper limit on how empty my head can get, dintcha? ;-) AND entertain.
Unless you typically get your yuks laughing at the befuddled, I don't know how much entertainment value can be found here. Happily, there is a meaningful dialogue that showed up on on facebook that IS worth pondering. Maybe Even worth reading. (er, you would be the judge of that one....)
A friend of mine - for Quite a long time now!! - has been discussing the 'easy way out'. And how annoyed he was with himself (he's a bit of a study in understatement, unlike Yours Truly) because he'd thought to go out photo-shooting, and found himself deterred by the crappy weather and his physical state - tired and grumpy (if I am remembering this correctly.) Despite his correct intuition about how great a waterfall would look, he packed it in. And later saw someone ELSE's photo of that waterfall online. Looking as good as he himself imagined it would have.
He then bruised his foot kicking himself in the rear for....not kicking himself in the rear, I imagine. In fact, he took the whole missed-adventure as a place to examine taking - what he calls - 'the easy way out' instead of taking 'worthwhile risks'.
While I am frankly envious of anyone who addresses that whole 'unexamined life' problem, I say that he doesn't recognize Enough of his risks - he writes plays, for example. I consider that 'throwing oneself to the wolves', to be honest. How the hell much risk does he need?
On the other hand, by putting this discussion out there, he is using his disappointment at the missed shot to help us all remember that setting the bar a little higher doesn't hurt (much) and usually helps.
What a good guy he is.
I admire his instincts, and will - grudgingly - raise the bar myself this afternoon. I'd plotted out a day of furious box-emptying, meal planning and prep, and about 45 minutes in my shiny, unused, soaking tub. EIGHTEEN DAYS here in the new place. and I haven't been in once.
The CATS have explored that gorgeous tub more than I have.
However, I will raise the bar by reviewing some paperwork I'd forgotten about, make a list of things we need from the store to accomplish that attempt at more 'home cooking', and spend as much time playing with my daughter as being hard at work. But in order to get that bar hefted off the ground, I really need to get my fingers off the keyboard, and get breakfast goin' for my son. And, considering that if I Don't raise the bar.....
I'll probably just bang my head into it.
Right.
Off I go. (****ducks. waves****) You go too.
Have a really lovely day ;-)
S.
Aww the joys of motherhood, housekeeping and business planner! You wear many hats, make them cute ones! We all need to set the bar higher for ourselves, unfortunately, as we get older/wiser, we find lots of reasons why being mediocre is ok...sounds like I have given up? Nope, just a moment when I realize how many days I say I am going to walk farther and then I find excuses not to. Guess I need a ladder to set my bar higher :)
ReplyDeleteI realized a long time ago that mediocre is what I do best. And that is ok. I know what I do well, and I know that what I do in my life makes a difference. I know that my family and friends love me for who I am and not whether my last name is Jones or what my accomplishments may or may not be. This is enough for me.
ReplyDeleteOh Jeanine :-) - I - and those who know and love you - would take issue with the tag 'mediocre'. You and I both know that 'accomplishment' isn't the bar to focus on, but how we feel about the outcome of our choices at the end of the day.
ReplyDeleteWhen your outcomes are knowing that your family feels loved, that you took the time out for each other (whether or not it was as MUch time as you wanted!) and that you can feel like your integrity is intact when you put your head down for the night, you have surpassed 'mediocrity'.
I would say that I have all the best intentions in the world, and can't fulfill half of them but half the time. Some days, that just has to be enough. Some days, it will never be enough...;-) you just gotta laugh sometimes....:-)
Thanks, Shari. Yes, I write plays, but then I stick them in drawers and no one sees them (finally putting one out there for an audience to see this summer, which is a start). And part of the reason why I don't is because writing them is easy - REwriting them is hard. And I haven't really, consistently given myself permission to dive into the rewriting process. Anyway, it'd be like writing a blog but never posting it. What's the sound of one blog clapping?...
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you saw through my statements about "applying myself" and realized that I was talking about risk. And of course, when one's talking about risk, one's talking about fear. Fear's a good adversary. And, fear wins pretty easily if you don't fight in the first place. Poof - game over, fear wins!
That's pretty much what I'm realizing - that I've been "playing not to lose", which has kept me from winning. And no, Jeanine, I don't mean winning in a "beating the Joneses" way or "getting more stuff than the other guy" way, and certainly not in a "Charlie Sheen" way. By winning, I mean being able to feel good about how I've used my gifts and treated the people around me.
Because I do feel like I've received a lot of gifts. Quite possibly more than my fair share. The one gift that I haven't received, however, is the knowledge of how to use them all. That is one thing I have to figure out for myself, and I took a big step towards that yesterday.
Shari - I'm very glad that my admission/rant on Facebook sparked some thinking. Thank you for sharing and carrying it forward!
Hm, the 'expounding' that I was hoping for has arrived! I don't think Jeanine is precisely equating your situation with the Jones', as much as she is stating her personal position regarding risk/benefit - I only say that because I know her pretty well ;-) She knows what she isn't going to risk, and where her comfort zones and needs for growth intersect. (something I could stand to learn myself!!!)
DeleteAnd, concerning people I know Quite well, as it happens, I know what a tough critic of your own work you are, so I think I still stand by my 'wolves' comment ;-) I certainly know what you mean about letting fear take the battle because I am a lily-livered fool about the process of growth relating to art - that you have to be able to see what's bad about your own choices before you can make better ones.
Of course, that fear relates to life as well.
Given what I know of your talent, i've wondered about the career choices you've made - Always respected them, but occasionally wished you'd surprise yourself by pushing yourself - and your writing - back out there. So know that every writer 'out there' - even ones I don't rate highly on style or mechanics - is still someone that I rate higher than me. Because they are putting it 'out there'. Like you, this summer.
Thanks for taking the time for a thoughtful discussion, as you and I both know that it applies directly to a lot of Art.
As well as a LOT of life ;-)
S.