I read many Blogs yesterday and was astounded at how many Bloggers have tumbled into the unwholesome ditch of discouragement . Even in ‘Roberta’s Reads’, I find a collection of suspended blogs and others who speak of that intention. And so I’m starting to realize it is going to be lonely here soon if I don’t cultivate some new friendships.
I go looking, but in random readings of new blogs I see blog-strangers encountering the same difficulties. It is like a wide-spreading virus how many Blog-Proprietors are throwing in the towel. And if not that, they are packing up and moving. Some to Facebook or U-Tube. Others are moving to another Blog-site with the optimism that a ‘new start’ will rid them of their discouragement.
I’m in the pack, as largely and boldly discouraged as the rest. But still I write, even if what I write, is the saddest bit of drivel. Unfortunately, I need to do it because Blogging is not a hobby, or a luxury. It is an obligation.
The obligation-part falls within Eldest Daughter’s adage about obligations. She insists she has only one steadfast and mandatory obligation – and that is to anything with a heartbeat. Gruffly phrased – “No heartbeat; no obligation”.
And I guess I have a similar attitude toward obligations, despite the overwhelming discouragement I feel when I loft yet another bit of migratory conversation that hopefully might land in a warmer place, but is far more likely to plummet to the dust like a bird full of buckshot. The discouragement is of little matter – my Blog remains an obligation
Like so many others, I contemplate suspending my blog or moving. But then, as I sit down and power up the computer, I hear the soft murmuring whirr of a heartbeat. A heartbeat that I can’t ignore.
And so, the humanitarian-side of me starts yammering all over again as if someone, somewhere, needs to read, needs to care, or needs to comment, on what I have to say.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
16 comments:
Well, you've still got me over on Souldrifter, but I'm not as much of a regular poster as I used to be on my previous sites. But, I've kept tabs on you over the years and the site changes, if that means anything. ;)
I'll have to start sharing more.
There are a few of us that hang in there, sharing our lives and the ups and downs that happen over the years. I really enjoy reading your words and while I totally understand the wonder of carrying on we all go through, it's the toughies like us that keep going. You've got lots to say; keep saying it.
susan@spinning
Hi Scotia. I am totally pleased you are still writing and I do love the name of your current blog -- it really seems so 'YOU'.
Decor is beautiful as well.
Thank you, susan. As my blog indicates sometimes it's not so easy to keep writing but then, amazingly, on other days, it's just not so easy to quit.
Thanks for visiting.
Can't be doing with facebook. I like having a platform - it's the frustrated actress in me. I'm glad you have no intention of quitting either. I think some people get discouraged by lack of feedback - commenting has definitely gone down, now that so many people read blogs using RSS feeds
I would sorely miss you if you gave up writing here. You're doing it for your own heartbeat, too - it says so in your profile blurb. Isn't that why we write anyhow, whether public or private? We need to "hear" what we think by writing it, by reading it aloud, by filtering it through other's perceptions (well, that last bit is for our amusement, mostly - if we took criticism too personally we'd really quit). Waving to you from the outpost -
I have noticed a lot of discouragement around the blogosphere as well Roberta. Many bloggers are posting and commenting less or quitting their blogs altogether. I myself have been guilty of not blogging and commenting as frequently as I'd like; but not because of disinterest on my part...mostly bacause of lack of time due to working with other things on the internet. Still, I think I need to work more at it considering it's something I really love and it's a community of people that I really love. I think I just get overly tired at times. When that happens...something gets short-changed. That's my excuse; but I'm not sure what the general malaise in the blogosphere might be attributed to. Maybe people just have bigger worries on their minds and don't feel like writing or talking about things. (Economy) Bad news has a tendency to do that to some people. I know I'm glad you're going to listen to your heartbeat and continue to write your beautiful words....I'd truly miss you.
Dear Roberta,
I love your blog, and as Winston Churchill once said, "Never, Never, Never Give up" I think as a general rule, people are more pessimistic than ever because of the state of the economy, etc....but hope is just around the corner! I hope!
Strange, Roberta - I'm beginning '09 quite positive about the state of blogging. I'm happy with the slowly expanding circle of those with whom I'm in consistent interaction. But I do mount regular expeditions into the wider blogosphere in search of new contacts and I have a constantly maintained list of blog addresses that I collect en masse and investigate at leisure. It takes time, but it pays dividends if one's motivation is not just to communicate but to share.
Hi Julie. I'm with you on the Facebook thing. Not my kind of 'soapbox' either. And you are also right about the decline in comments and visitors. I try to deny that I have any dependency on others' reactions, but that's not totally true. Whether they agree, or sassily disagree, I still love to know that someone was seaking about and stopped in for a moment. Each visitor is like a lovely little unexpected surprise.
Thank you, Pauline, and Thank You again. As usual you make me smile. Waving back from the little cabin on the ridge.
Joy, the symtoms that affect bloggers are all that you have stated. But I guess that leaves me in the clear, cause although I do generally try to be upbeat, I'm quite capable of whining, complaining, even being openly bitter on a bad day. Thank you for visiting, Joy. You're visits, your pleasant humor, and the things you write at your blog way-often make my day particularly pleasant.
Thank you, dear Esther, for your kind encouragement. Means a lot.
Hi Dick, thanks for stopping in. You're right in respect that I get so entrenched with the people I do know and have known for some time that, like a crowd at a wedding, I maybe get just a bit 'clique-y' (sp?). Sticking shyly with those I know rather than moving around in search of new conversations with others whom I haven't met.
Your comment has me thinking that I must give this matter some thought and attention.
It's fascinating that we are on the same page. My younger sister has just resumed blogging. Her life isn't any easier in terms of the demands on her time, but she made a committment, and I'm so glad to see her return.
As you know, I've been caring for my mother, who had a seizure in June. Unfortunately, most of my thoughts have been geared toward that experience, and after a while, it's difficult to find ways to write about it. A little whining is fine, but at some point you just have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and find something positive to think about, and share.
I'm at that point right now. I don't need to reinvent myself as much as revisit those things that have always interested me.
Yes, some of our friends are falling by the wayside, but I hope that you will always feel the obligation to blog. I'd miss you.
Buffy
Hi buffy, been a long time since we chatted. I understand that with present concerns in your life, blogging might get shoved aside for a time. And that's okay too.
At the same time, I'm happy to hear your sister is resuming her blog. I'll be looking for a connect on your page.
Thank you for the comment and the encouragement it gives me. Much appeciated.
Post a Comment