I write about my emotions and life. It is personal. I’ve journaled my existence for years and find it helps me sort things out. I publish these thoughts because I hope someone else will read them and think, “OK, so it isn’t just me!” Perhaps they will pick up a pencil, write down their feelings, and will find solace in the act.
I don’t live in solitude so occasionally these musings include others who are part of my day. Whenever possible, I strive to protect their identity and honor their privacy. It is never my intention to embarrass or divulge secrets. There is a fine line, a careful dance to withhold details and yet include their impact on me. Writing is like that, I bare my soul while hoping to shield some and touch others.
I have always given just one simple gift for graduation presents – a blank diary and a nicely weighted pen. Some see this as a curious gift in an age of digital connection. I see it as handing over the beginning of a fine artifact if even one thought is recorded. Hopefully the gift recipient will find that journal years from now and that one thought will have meaning.
This electronic state of life has opened the door to many who never handled a camera or wielded a pen. Publishing a blog post regularly, introduces me to scores of other writers. Many of us will never meet but we share our passions and worlds regularly – the finest form of pen-pals. There is support and encouragement in our relationships forged of reading and writing rigorously.
The other side of the spectrum in writing a blog is the speed and magnitude with which my words create an event that will consume me, exhausting my creativity. I don’t understand search engines and bots. The mechanics of this world are lost on me though I do maintain common sense. When I get a notice that “TeachsWomenToBeSexy” is following my blog now from Taiwan, I’m not so blind as to think this might be the next New York Times Editor in Chief.
Suddenly on Friday I noticed my email continuously filling with notifications from my site. It’s nice to know what’s going on there during the day, but I seldom have time at work for more than a precursory glance. It wasn’t until I powered up my laptop while cooking dinner that I thought, “I’ve been hacked!” Hundreds of notifications had piled up about visitors and views.
Oddly, none of them referred to Friday’s post. Nor Thursdays, or any from the past five days. A post I had written over a week ago was “Freshly Pressed” on Friday. In blog-speak that means it was highlighted as a suggested read by the good folks at WordPress where my blog lives. It is humbling, thrilling and a dreadful amount of administrative work to sort through the kind folks who commented or reblogged it. This happened last July for the first time and grew my puddle of international and local “friends” to a nice little pool. I wish there was a better screening process because connections help drive passions. We all benefit as we polish our skills.
Thank you to everyone who encouraged, or just strove to understand, my passion.
Therapeutic Misadventures 
Brava! And I like the graduation gift idea. Nice touch.
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Thank you Joyce for all your support!!
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Congratulations!! I’m so pleased for you! 🙂
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Thanks Cheryl. I was really surprised and honored!!
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Congratulations. That makes twice!
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Thank you Allen. There is also the “be careful what you wish for” factor!
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Congrats! It is interesting because your being Freshly Pressed also has a trickle down effect. I began receiving likes on my comment on your post, which led to people checking out my blog. Changing names to protect the guilty, oops sorry, I meant innocent. Well done in the blogging world.
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Thank you Laura. Glad to hear there is a spreading of the wealth, so to speak. Your blog is deserving of a wide following as you illuminate our little corner of the world!!
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Congrats! And I love the grad gift. I have a life long love of journals myself. And fountain pens for some odd reason lol. Anyway, I find journals both intimidating (as if their mere presence demands I wax prolific and write profound, inspirational thoughts worthy of a Nobel, immediately) and exciting, because it represents potential, freedom, and creativity to me. I can’t tell you how much deep longing sighing goes on in the journal section of B&N lol. I’m thrilled you were “freshly pressed”, as that is precisely how I found you and you blog. Your post make me smile and laugh. Again, congrats…. it’s well deserved 🙂
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P.S. please ignore my typos…. I’m sleep deprived, having just got into bed after working a double (14 hrs)
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Thank you Gigi! I love a new journal but agree, there is something intimidating about all those blank pages. Fountain pens are the best. My most coveted is a Mont Blanc that is many years old and still lovely to hold.
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Loved this post, very well written and thought out! Congrats on being featured, that’s so exciting!
I’ve been journaling on and off for years since high school and it’s so fun to look back and remember specific times in my life. And I totally agree with you that it’s a fine line between being private in the world and age of social media, and sharing your thoughts and feelings. It’s something I struggle with too.
Glad to have found your blog 🙂
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Thank you! I’m so happy this struck a chord with you. Congrats on journaling for so long, that is a commitment that pays off in the end when you have years to go back and read about. I find patterns in my life during certain times of the year that repeat all the time. Fascinating!!
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Congratulations for a recognition that is very well-deserved.
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Thanks Susan. You just never know what will strike a chord with folks!!
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What a talent you have! Congratulations!!
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Thank you Annie, I am honored!
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Good for you Martha! That’s great to get freshly pressed, you deserve it! It’s true that we are all like modern day pen pals with a common interest in writing. It’s a nice feeling to receive some validation from WordPress, and even more so from the people who read and enjoyed your post. You should be proud of the openness and honesty with which you write, sometimes that is the hard part, but also the most personally beneficial. Congrats on being freshly pressed!
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Thank you Mark. I am honored.
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My heart was in my mouth there for a moment. I’ve got very behind in my reading (again) and for one terrible moment thought you really had been hacked. Congratulations on being freshly pressed again. 🙂 Phew!
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Thanks Marie! I feel very blessed that someone enjoys my rambling thoughts!
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