In Support of my Change Addiction

Miche and I traveled downtown together for the Motherlode Conference in 2006, or at least we traveled around together, I can't remember which because my memory tends to lose these details. I do remember wandering around an art supply store with her, brain boggling at the tremendous variety of supplies (and their cost) and the way they crowded each other into the aisles. Apparently artists may have an elevated aesthetic sense but this does not translate into the places in which they purchase their goops and daubers. I remember that it rained (I think). I also remember a comment Miche made which I'm going to very loosely paraphrase because I don't remember it all that well; she said that the bloggers she knows of that have 'done well' in terms of blogging are doers.

I'm not sure I believe this is a universal fact, but it is a fact that the bloggers I know and have built relationships with, the ones who populate the corner of the interweb in which I hang my virtual hat, are all doers. I can't think of a single blogger I know and interact with regularly whose primary way of experiencing the world is to log eight hours in at an uninspiring job, go home, watch five hours of television, and go to bed. And when you consider how many people do live their lives that way, it's incredible, really, that so few people seem to do this on the internet.

You might argue that we've simply replaced the television with the monitor, but I don't think that's so. Yes, bloggers all seem to carry around a glowing screen in the interior of their skull on which future posts are composed in the midst of the circumstances that give rise to them, but on the whole they seem to be people whose lives are more full than average, not less. At least, the ones I know.

Julie's Hump Day Hmm for the week is to consider a blog, blogger or post which inspired one to make a change in one's own life--but the fact is that this is impossible for me, as the inspiration doesn't come from one person, one blog, or one post, but the entire atmosphere (that I fully realize I may have cobbled together myself through being drawn to particular blogs and people and so constructing a community that involves the kinds of people and blogs that are likely to inspire me--but that's a subject for a different post).

I have about a hundred blogs on my bloglines feed, split between personal blogs, mommy blogs, social justice blogs, environmental blogs, lifestyle and psychology blogs, writing blogs, art and craft blogs, and a very very few political blogs. None of them are mean-spirited or depressing--even the ones written by people writing about their own depression manage somehow to be positive places to be, even when the posts are about seriously negative topics. There's no snark, no vicious humour, no mean-spiritedness. It's kind of like sitting in a room full of inspirational speakers, only they're not selling anything.

I'd love to take you on a tour of the entire 100, but that is certainly too much for one blog post. Instead I'll select a few examples (and maybe revisit the topic in the future if there's any interest), being mindful of the fact that any selection will seem as if I'm elevating this handful above the other 95 or so. That's not what I intend. Instead I'm aiming to show you how comprehensive the impact has been.

Laundry. Marla has taught me to never ever wash undies in anything but very-hot-water, a lesson I promise I will take with me to the grave.

Big Sisters. The Social Justice RoundTable inspired me to start volunteering and post about it, which inspired a few of you to start volunteering and post about it, and who knows where that will end? (Yes, still doing that, btw--I haven't forgotten or ignored it though gods know I've had plenty of legitimate reasons to.)

Writing. Getting to know Real Live (Published) Authors through their blogs as Real Live (Imperfect) Humans wasn't the only reason I started submitting more seriously, but it was one of them. Especially when some of them (*cough* Ann *cough*) are so encouraging and kind.

Happiness. This is going to embarass her hugely, but when I see all the tremendous shit LauraJ has been dumped in her life and how she still manages to be this upbeat, lovely, generous person who designs and sews just about everything and sends it off as gifts all over the planet while single-handedly caring for an adorable boy with some very serious disabilities and providing care for all kinds of other kids (for free) (and by the way, Laura, I think your recent idea of reclaiming your weekends for yourself is great, do it!)--I know I can do the same, if I choose to.

Parenting. You told me where to find underwear in small enough sizes when we first started potty training, what to worry about after Erik and I separated and (more crucially) what not to worry about, that it is possible for moms not to be at odds with their teenaged daughters, and that benign neglect is a positive parenting strategy. I can't begin to enumerate the ways in which reading the interior monologues of other mothers has made parenting not only easier, but more fun.

That was fun. I should do that again.

Posted by Andrea at May 28, 2008 1:45 PM under Change Addict , Friends and Others

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