Six of One ….

Well lets start with the happy news. I got the notification saying that yesterday was my six year anniversary of putting random thoughts out in the void.

According to a website of useless information, the sixth anniversary is traditionally candy or iron although the modern gift is wood. I don’t know who makes these rules, I just point em out.

Now, if you are eagle eyed, you probably notice large gaps in my past history. Most of you know that story. If you don’t, then lets just say that for a variety of reasons I sent a whole bunch of prior posts to purgatory. They still exist but they are forever hidden from view. So, while it may not seem like it, I have been doing this for six years.

So much has changed over those six years although it kind of feels like the pace of change has accelerated in the last couple of years. I’ve zigged and zagged a few times while trying to find my “voice”. Most of this has been about Ballroom Dancing since that is an experience that changed my life. (I know that’s a cliche but it is also true in this case).

At one point, that turned into the Ballroom Village which may still exist in some form but is more like an old west ghost town than a true functioning village. I can also trace back over my list of followers and blogs I’ve followed and many of them have also vanished into the ether. None of that is unexpected. Doing this for some length of time isn’t easy. You would think that just opening a website and banging on the keys would be but it is harder than it looks. Fortunately, I seem to have a lot to say so I keep at it.

I don’t think my original idea was to be solely about Ballroom. I can’t really remember why I decided to do this in the first place. But I’ve kind of found that is too limiting so I’ve kind of shifted to mostly stories about things that happen in my life.

But let me get real for a minute or two here. Every so often, I get it in my head that I should try to do more here and turn this into something else. Part of that is probably that little rush you get from “likes” and “follows”. It is like instant validation.

You get a few and you want MORE! So I’ve followed a couple of sites that supposedly offer advice on creating a “successful” blog. Then, after reading several posts, I mostly unfollow them. They talk of things like editing and not being so wordy and not wasting your audiences time and so on and so forth. And also finding a “hook”. I mean why would anyone want to read your blog.

Those aren’t bad tips and if I was younger and wanted to really make something of this, I’d probably take them. But all that sounds like a lot of work and I’m basically lazy so I prefer the “take to the keyboard and just freeform it baby” approach to doing these things. Sometimes I have an idea and I go with that. Sometimes I have an idea and then I finish and go “I never mentioned what I want to”. Is it the best way to do this? Probably not. But it is more truly “me”.

OK, I also get the irony of putting up a quote about being real when I don’t tell you who I am. (People have figured it out though) The thoughts are real even if the writer is concealed behind a curtain. I have my reasons for keeping a line and I will continue to keep what is a thin line.

It still is amazing that people actually read this stuff but I’ve also come to realize that many of use are social creatures even if it is just selectively social. The world is a big scary place where lots and lots of bad things happen. A lot of good stuff happens as well but that doesn’t seem to get covered as much as the bad. It is all too easy to feel like a small and insignificant piece is a huge puzzle. And so maybe just the simple act of making “connections” (even when they are electronic) helps. There are other voices out there listening and responding and maybe some of what you’ve gone through is something someone else can relate to. After all, if you stick with the puzzle analogy, we are all connected in some way.

There might have been a point in that previous paragraph but I’m not sure what it is anymore. I guess what it comes down to is that I send my stories out in the wind. It is a random thing if someone finds them. If they like them and stick around and find something of value, so much the better. If they don’t and move on, no big deal. If they hang around for a bit and then drop off the face of the earth I’ll always wonder whatever happened to them. And maybe in all that process a few connections are created and some little parts of the world are a little brighter. (Now I’m giving myself way too much credit).

Well as long as life keeps happening to me, I’ll have stories to tell. Thank you for listening out there. (I know you are actually reading but that is the digital equivalent of listening)