Hi,
There are times when it feels a strange thing to be a blogger. To be someone who writes and shares what they do and who they are. Occasionally, these can be very personal moments.
There is something that nags at me, like a stone in a shoe or a rough nail on cloth. It’s a… if I can be honest here, I sometimes worry that this is all vainglorious nonsense, an edifice to ego, and perhaps, pointless. But then, isn’t a lot of such ilk easily dismissed by reductionist thought? Why see a film if it’s ultimately a series of flashing lights and noises. Why go out for a walk when you’ll only come back to your home. Well, unless you’ve got a really bad sense of direction 😉
But, I think in truth, that’s the voice of the dark. Not the friendly whisper to keep one’s feet upon the floor, while dreaming of the stars. But a harsh lie, that bites and punctures. It is a worry, but it is not a thing. Just a whisp and it does not have power. At least, not if I do not feed it.
I’ve said before that this private public place gives me a space to express who I am. I share ideas, things I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way), and to hear back from others; who then do the same. Well, I feel we’re all moving forward a little.
Recently, I read about the positives of nostalgia. Conversely, I’d heard people talk of the past as a trap. That, for them, it was safe and easy. Perhaps there’s a truth that to only want to be in the past is, well, to be Master of the Obvious, it ain’t the present🙂 Yet, reading the above article, I think I gave me another angle to blogging and photos: that they give me hope.
When things are not easy – for whatever reason – I can cycle back through the posts, comments, and photos; seeing things in a different light. Reading about happy times, overcoming difficulties, and seeing images of events, friend, and outfits that remind me of good things. That a good film can be an emotional journey, a shared experiences, or a really good laugh. A walk takes us out into the world: to see nature, to breathe in the air, and to not be couped up looking at screen. 🙂
So, if there’s a takeaway to all this: don’t forget the past, as it can help you now. Just, don’t forget the future and hope that what may be, may go well ❤️
L x
Why blog? For some it’s pure narcissism and vanity; for others it’s a wish to share interesting things, maybe be helpful, even make a difference in the world.
As for nostalgia, I find it’s just not what it used to be! (old, old joke)
Sue x
Ah, to make a difference, that would be good. Just like kindness, such a thing is its own reward and best, IMO, when done without want of anything in return.
As to that nostalgia joke, it’s not like jokes were in my day. Cue Symphony for a New World! 😁
An honest account of blogging Lynn and I must say that you’re not alone in your thinking about whether sometimes blogging is a pointless exercise. I’ve often thought that and considered giving it up a few times hence my occasional absences.
I do enjoy visiting your blog and i enjoy reading your content and especially love your fashion photos too, you showcase some lovely outfits.
Like you say our blogs are place to express ourselves, get things off our chest and share our experiences and concerns.
I consider myself a very nostalgic person, I love things from my childhood such as TV programmes, music, films, snacks, toys and most of all my school years. I’m definitely stuck in the eighties, it was a great decade growing up and I miss those years.
It’s good to look back through our blogs, they are a snapshot of our thoughts and feelings and so looking back we can see how far we have come and how much we’ve been able to offload over the years.
I enjoy the creative aspect of blogging and I try to present my blog in a neat and tidy manner, taking care to stick to a set format and layout (a bit OCD I know!)
Enjoy your weekend x
In terms of writing – either the feeling of wanting to, or that of the perception of something to say, have been somewhat taxing. I wondered if it was tiredness, laziness, or stress. Things that felt like heavy weights I could not put down and that hampered anything creative.
To be be glib, but it might also be the season. I don’t enjoy hit weather and while I enjoy a touch of sun, the bright mornings, and longer days; I yearn for Autumn, Winter, and Spring. All that and cooler weather means different clothes and being covered up more. I find Summer often reminds me of how male I am… and while I can forget that, I’m too often reminded.
But, t thinking on the positives. Thanks for the kind comments about the blog. Jeez, it’s been running a while now 🙂 Good luck with your blogging and I do look forward to reading your posts.
If it helps, your blogging always gives me (and others judging by the comments) something to think about and that, to my mind, is pretty important.
My blogging, FWIW, began as an outlet for things I had no other way to discuss or chew on. It was public because, well, why not? And, for a long time, no one I knew IRL read it – making it the safest place I had to write what I felt I needed to write.
Thanks Joanna. I hope that the content here – and indeed the comments from others – give us something. Partly a voice to be heard, somewhere to ask questions (which Anon does – in a good way), and to reflect on all of that. There might also be an element of, well, positivity or representation even.
I’m with you about a place to write and there’s times when you want to ask as well: is this like this for you? or what was your experience of X? 🙂
My nostalgia is somewhat constrained by the fact that I don’t think I have anything earlier than late 2016, and it was probably at least another year before I ventured to post anything that wasn’t heavily photoshopped out of all recognition. Anything that might have been on Tumblr prior to that has gone when they closed the account (although Tumblr still sent me a 7th birthday message last month).
Why blog? For me, it’s for response, comment and conversation. It might be nice to get a hundred views (ha, we wish) or a dozen likes but a couple of lines of response is really what it’s all about.
Yeah, the personal history does need to build up, I think. I mean, if what went on is only in your head – and that’s absolutely not wrong ❤️ – then memory, emotion, and time can monkey about with it. I think I read that folk who are struggling with depression, they may recall the bad memories more often than the good. Mental health aside, I know my diary app helps remind me of all the little things that were good news from the past.
As to why you blog, that rings a bell. I visit the sites I do because the owner takes the time to reply. That connection – and conversation – is why I keep coming back.
Why do I get the impression your being worn down by all the -ve reporting from news organs such as the Daily Wail? Ignore them, the do not speak for all of the uk population
You’d not be wrong about being warn down, Anon. I don’t watch the news on TV and I actively avoid a large section of the press as well. Yet, some the current government continue to grandstand on anti-trans topics. That, and what happens overseas as well, is hard to avoid. There are times when it feels we are under attack and resisting that frequent negativity is draining.
I know that there’s lots of allies and accepting non trans folk out there, and that does help.