I wrote two weeks ago about some thoughts I'd been swishing around in my brain. They were all about making deliberate choices, writing, and caring about personal growth.
This is a transitional time in my life. We just celebrated the new year. A new president is in office (and with him, much angst and justified fear has settled in). My second child is getting into a phase that's less draining. I also recently left a group blog where I'd been contributing regular posts for three years. All these things combine to make me feel like I'm on the precipice of something. Or of some things, multiple.
One of those things is greater civic engagement. My capacity's a bit limited by ... you know, life circumstances, like having two little kids and a strict budget and irregular access to a car, but it's nice to have this fire inside. I went to my local Women's March earlier this week, and I'm following the progress of a handful of bills I care about, and I'm contacting my legislators. It's all a start.
Another? Writing. Finding words and getting them out of my head and onto some flat or digital surface. This cultural moment is weird, though, because prevailing voices suggest ways to be strategic in writing, ways to build your brand, etc. And I waffle on whether or not that's a good approach for me. I just know that the act of writing is really freaking helpful for me as I try to figure out what I believe and value and where I've messed up and what steps to take next. So, in the spirit of my son's bike-riding mantra, I want to focus on watching my going, documenting the big and small stuff that makes up my life right now.
I'm about to turn 30, and I'm excited for that. One more big transitional marker. Let it be the beginning of my most curious decade yet.
More Thoughts
Friday, January 13, 2017
Some things have been simmering in my head this past week ...
First, something my friend Courtney said: "I loved blogging until it became less about sharing of ideas and more about presentation. I don't know many blogs that survived the oncoming of hyper-curated lifestyle blogging. And maybe that's just a natural evolution, but I also would argue that it's not healthy to lose so many women who were writing important narrative simply because they couldn't keep up with what they were seeing. Can we talk about that? Can we talk about what killed the personal blog? Practically every woman I knew was writing a decade ago, and now I don't know any of them keeping up with those blogs. And for some it was because life became too busy, some decided to not be public, but a whole lot of them just said they became too intimidated or tired trying to keep up with how blogging became so much about how everything looked.
Economics aside, that's a damn shame. I don't blame the bloggers that moved into that space, but I do, very much blame the patriarchal culture that moved thinking and writing women of my community off the internet."
Second, this blog post from Sarah von Bargen at Yes and Yes: "But what I see is a reminder that everything matters. I see confirmation that the tiny choices I make every day add up to something. That might sound demoralizing or overwhelming but I’m choosing to see it as wildly empowering."
Third, Michelle Obama's encouraging words from her final official address as First Lady.
Fourth, this essay from Rachel Held Evans, which is superb from start to finish, but here's what's relevant here: "This was a strange year to have a baby. Perhaps, for you, it was a strange year to lose your father, to be ordained, to become a citizen. But if the incarnation has anything to say about it, we don’t get to wait around for ideal circumstances to begin creating, birthing, nurturing, planting, protesting, and working together to heal the world. So my prayer for you today, and in the days, weeks, and months ahead, is this: No matter what it means to you, take the risk of birth. Don’t be afraid. Finish the book. Pursue the relationship. Begin the ministry. Push the boundaries. Join the march. Write the screenplay. Do the dishes. Plant the onions. Carry the child. Roll around on the floor with your giggling toddler as if the world was even fractionally worthy of his presence. I’m so glad I did."
Fifth is from my life. My three-year-old got a bike for Christmas, and he's been learning to ride it in our hallway. At first, he focused intently on watching his feet while he pedaled; this caused more than a few run-ins with walls and furniture. I started telling him, "Watch where you're going." He's translated this into the toddler mantra, "Watch your going." I love hearing him say this. The first time, it occurred to me that my direction and his parroting of it were actually two sides of a coin -- look ahead to what's in front of you, yes, but also, pay attention to the progress you're making. Look as you go. Watch your actual going.
All these little nuggets are related, revolving around something important for me, but I haven't found the right words for it yet. More soon. I'll let it keep simmering.
First, something my friend Courtney said: "I loved blogging until it became less about sharing of ideas and more about presentation. I don't know many blogs that survived the oncoming of hyper-curated lifestyle blogging. And maybe that's just a natural evolution, but I also would argue that it's not healthy to lose so many women who were writing important narrative simply because they couldn't keep up with what they were seeing. Can we talk about that? Can we talk about what killed the personal blog? Practically every woman I knew was writing a decade ago, and now I don't know any of them keeping up with those blogs. And for some it was because life became too busy, some decided to not be public, but a whole lot of them just said they became too intimidated or tired trying to keep up with how blogging became so much about how everything looked.
Economics aside, that's a damn shame. I don't blame the bloggers that moved into that space, but I do, very much blame the patriarchal culture that moved thinking and writing women of my community off the internet."
Second, this blog post from Sarah von Bargen at Yes and Yes: "But what I see is a reminder that everything matters. I see confirmation that the tiny choices I make every day add up to something. That might sound demoralizing or overwhelming but I’m choosing to see it as wildly empowering."
Third, Michelle Obama's encouraging words from her final official address as First Lady.
Fourth, this essay from Rachel Held Evans, which is superb from start to finish, but here's what's relevant here: "This was a strange year to have a baby. Perhaps, for you, it was a strange year to lose your father, to be ordained, to become a citizen. But if the incarnation has anything to say about it, we don’t get to wait around for ideal circumstances to begin creating, birthing, nurturing, planting, protesting, and working together to heal the world. So my prayer for you today, and in the days, weeks, and months ahead, is this: No matter what it means to you, take the risk of birth. Don’t be afraid. Finish the book. Pursue the relationship. Begin the ministry. Push the boundaries. Join the march. Write the screenplay. Do the dishes. Plant the onions. Carry the child. Roll around on the floor with your giggling toddler as if the world was even fractionally worthy of his presence. I’m so glad I did."
Fifth is from my life. My three-year-old got a bike for Christmas, and he's been learning to ride it in our hallway. At first, he focused intently on watching his feet while he pedaled; this caused more than a few run-ins with walls and furniture. I started telling him, "Watch where you're going." He's translated this into the toddler mantra, "Watch your going." I love hearing him say this. The first time, it occurred to me that my direction and his parroting of it were actually two sides of a coin -- look ahead to what's in front of you, yes, but also, pay attention to the progress you're making. Look as you go. Watch your actual going.
All these little nuggets are related, revolving around something important for me, but I haven't found the right words for it yet. More soon. I'll let it keep simmering.
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