Saturday, August 13, 2016
Blogging is like having a kid; if you wait until the time is perfect, you'll never do it. So, here's my first in what I hope will be a long line of bloody, screaming offspring. I'm doing this to keep myself sane. Or...you know...to try to reclaim whatever sanity I may have formerly had.
There will be no beginning, no middle, no end... I'm just going to float from topic to topic, all willy-nilly-like. Honestly, I don't know what I'm doing. How does one "Blog?"
Reminds me of how I was before I had scrapbooked my first page. I didn't know what to do. I had a multitude of materials, scores of stickers, a plethora of pictures... But I didn't know the "rules" of scrapbooking. So, I Googled it. I bookmarked "How To" pages...to be read later, of course. I was much too busy living my life to read about scrapbooking it. Then, one day I was planning a surprise for the half birthday (17-1/2, to be exact) of the girl who would go on to become my daughter-in-law. I baked her a mess of cupcakes and made my first scrapbook page for her!
Since then, my technique has improved! And I've gone on to gift friends and family with dozens and dozens (and dozens) of pages - often full scrapbooks full of pages. Now, when I encounter folks who tell me they want to start scrapbooking, but they don't know how, I laugh (at them) and say, "There are no rules in scrapbooking!" I guess the same is true for blogging.
I've been wanting to blog for years, dating back to when my son was in high school and I was going through the beginning stages of menopause. Until the day I actually started my blog (that would be TODAY...), I had intended to call it "Midlife Crisis in Progress." In reality, I believe my midlife crisis is over now, so the title would no longer be honest. Not that my life is no longer in crisis...it's just a different one...
I guess I'll call this good for my first post...after I give a few shout outs!
I promised I would dedicate my first blog post to a woman I have never met. Her name is Pam Latimer. We met on Facebook through a mutual friend, Morgan Daniel. About two-and-a-half years ago, Morgan posted something about the reality show "Duck Dynasty", which was a big deal at the time. I let loose with a rant about their overkill merchandising in his comment section and his friend Pam followed that up by sending me a friend request and a message so sweet it almost made me cry about why I should be a humor blogger. So Pam - this is for you!
My best friend from high school (and beyond), Lisa Koestlin also recently gave me a nudge in the right direction by telling me I should have a column in the newspaper. Having been friends for so long, she totally gets my sense of humor, when some other people misunderstand and think I'm complaining or looking for sympathy. Honestly, most of the time, I'm just trying to be funny. Trying...
Lastly, I need to thank someone for inspiring me to actually DO this without one more day of procrastination. That someone would be my best friend from junior high, Jewel Atkins. We had lost touch for around 35 years when we found each other on Facebook again last year. Jewel is part of the most intriguing, intelligent and unbelievably talented family I have ever encountered. She is a blogger herself. Earlier today, we were chatting on Facebook about my recent face-to-face visit with her younger sister, Malinda McHenry. I was telling Jewel that Mal's visit just brought home to me how impossible it is to catch up on 35 years of life in just a couple of hours. Jewel suggested we should do our catching up via blogging. See? I told you she's a genius!
Okay. I'm done for now. I have a stockpile of topics and half-written articles in the notes app on my phone, so I shouldn't run out of material any time soon. I hope you'll follow me and give me some feedback! And, if you like it - tell your friends! In the meantime, I need to view my page from the outside to see if what I need to do to make it functional and user friendly. Wish me luck! The next shouting you hear may be for HELP!!!
Thanks for reading!
Ginger
glrss1961@gmail.com