%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 A blog to house my musings, curiosities, and fascinations. |
|
When it came time for me to start blogging again, I found myself paralyzed. I was trapped by the belief that my blog had to be unique, that it had to have a defined theme, and that it had to be appealing to everyone. After some time scouring Google for advice, I realized that if all I did was worry and plan, I would spend forever worrying and planning and never get to writing. From that realization, I've decided to display my blog writing guidelines here for everyone to see, but especially for me to see when I come here to write. ~1~ Blog about what is appealing to YOU. Don't worry about anyone else. ~2~ Allow yourself to WRITE! Don't restrain yourself to one voice, one writing style, one genre, or one topic area. ~3~ Throw out the fear of maintaining a consistent theme. Blog about your passions, interests, fancies, inspirations, opinions, musings, curiosities, ramblings, and loves. ~4~ Explore, experiment, and have fun! So, this is my solution. A blog about anything and everything that sparks my interest.  The title is inspired by the quote at the bottom of this introduction. Everything you love, even for a short time, becomes part of you. Our experiences and perception of the world is colored by those things we love and have loved, whether those things are  or not. This blog will be a place to house those passions and curiosities. Please enjoy! "It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them, and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are." -Anonymous ![Merit Badge in Aloha
[Click For More Info]
Only the most selfless, dedicated person would come up with an idea like an Aloha MB. But then, from all those things you do on WDC and we know you're doing out in the world, it's what we should have known you'd do. You've always been working to make things better and help people, animals, and places. Maybe the badge should have your picture so everyone knows a real example of Aloha.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Aloha-2171989_14.gif) Cover image by Jessica Woulfe
|
| Welp, this was a toughy. The final task in my Wodehouse challenge this month is to write about what I consider myself to be a Grandmaster of. This was hard for me, not only because I despise talking about myself or doing anything that could be construed as "bragging," but also because I am really of the mindset that no one can be a true Grandmaster of anything. There is always room for improvement, whether by yourself or by someone in the future. I mean, look at the Olympics for just one example. World records are broken again and again and again. The World Record holder is the best in that sport for that moment, until someone else breaks their record or they break it themselves. For me, I find significant value in continual improvement, and could never see myself as "the best" at something because there is always more to discover. And even when you feel like the end of discovery is near, teaching others is the next step. In short, the journey of discovery is never-ending, and I find that an extremely liberating and humble way to live. But, of course, as this is a challenge, I am forced to write about something I have mastered to the level where others may consider me a "grandmaster." And, because this is something other's have said about me on a fair few occasions, I figured it fit the bill: My Grandmastery of Listening. I am a private person. I like to keep my personal life contained so it doesn't distract or burden anyone else. This means I don't often (if ever) talk about my personal issues. It also makes me fully committed to listening to other people's personal troubles/traumas because I'll rarely be inclined to share my own experiences in a way that might compete with their story or dominate/shift the conversation. I'm naturally curious about their emotions/needs and willing to be an ear for them to vent to. I am honest about my perspective of their situation if they need advice, or sensitive if they just need space to air their thoughts. I'm good at being quiet. I am comfortable with silence. I like when conversations lull because you can feel the thoughts settling. Not only do I listen, but I hear (and yes, there is a difference). I am good at processing an abundance of information as it flows into my ears in bits and pieces and distilling it down to what truly matters. And at an even more basic level, I like helping people. If I can take some of your burden by simply listening when no one else will, or offering advice when others told you to cover your emotions and deal with them in isolation, I can be that person. I like when the focus is on other people, but of course there are times where my own bottled emotions become too much and I need to get them out some way. In those cases, one of two things happens - I either cry on my bf's shoulder until I (or he) falls asleep, or I write about it. I tend to keep those thoughts close to my heart and putting them on paper is therapeutic enough for me. I wouldn't be able to share those things verbally, mostly because I know I wouldn't be articulate enough or thorough enough to express the emotion to the depth I was truly feeling it. For me, writing it out is so much more cathartic than telling someone, which would add even more stress for me. That said, I am comfortable with being on the listening side of those conversations. And, a bit selfishly, hearing other people's problems makes me feel a little more fortunate that I only have the problems I have. I'm very non-confrontational, which I believe makes me easy to approach and talk to. It is interesting to think about this in the context of my work as well. I am basically a non-formal educator and event coordinator, which you might think would require a gregarious and outgoing personality, but I am exactly the opposite of that. I prefer to work behind the scenes setting up for events and recruiting others who are more extroverted to be the face in front of the crowd. With my position, I am good at listening to what my "clients" (for lack of a better word) are looking to gain out of an event and making that happen. I am also good at listening to people who approach a booth I am staffing to understand where they are coming from, and what they value so I can meet them with an appropriate message and level of knowledge for their understanding. So, I guess that's enough blabbering on about that. If you see this as an open invitation to spill your guts to a random stranger on the internet, please feel free. Maybe not in the comments though ...  |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
Puzzle Hub
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
