I'm Not Above Grovelling
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I ran into a friend at the gym the other day. After the usual hellos she said, “I spanked my son in the doctor’s office one time.” Huh? She must have noticed the slightly confused look on my face, because then she said, “I read your blog yesterday.”
I nearly hugged her. If I hadn’t been all sweaty, I just might have.
A couple of weeks ago I sat down at the high school football game ready to cheer the Falcons to victory when another dear friend turned around and said, “So, you’re going to write about public school, huh? Good luck with that one.”
We shared a bit of a laugh together . . . once I figured out that she had read my blog that day.
And this week I got the sweetest note in the actual mail (!) from yet another reader who mentioned that my blog was a blessing to her. Tears in these eyes, yes there were, when I read that one.
Seriously, I just love it when people tell me they read my blog. It doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does, I’m always pleasantly caught by surprise.
When someone tells me they’ve been reading the blog, do you know what I do? I mentally scan back through all my old posts and try to figure out what I’ve written that might possibly offend that person. (Chances are pretty good there’s something there—keep looking.) And then I mentally think of all the silly things I’ve written—the trite and the simple—that might make them not want to come back again.
And then I smile real big and say, “Oh my goodness, you have no idea what that means to me.” And I mean it. Just the fact that you’re sitting here right now, reading my insecure thoughts about my little life even though it is just a silly little hobby that has begun to mean something to me, means the world to me.
Of all the blogs in all the world in all the blogosphere on the entire internet, you chose mine.
But sometimes I feel like it’s not fair. All of you know what’s happening in my life, but I don’t know what’s happening in yours. I know, that’s the nature of the blog, and if you wanted to splash your “stuff” all over the internet you would start your own blog. I get that.
But here’s the thing . . . I sometimes wish I knew who was out there reading all my mundane musings. I wish I knew if what I write made you think about an issue differently or helped clarify your thinking or made you laugh.
See, the internet is a community—a dialogue, if you will (I really hate that word).
You can say anything you want in the comments. Preferably things like “I love this post” or “Great points!” or “Wanna have coffee next week?” but you could also tell me I’m crazy and I should go fly a kite. At least I’ll know you’re out there.
You are out there, aren’t you? Hello??
The comments let me know you’re reading me. But they also encourage me. A lot. And sometimes I get a new idea from a comment or I see an issue in a new way. And then a new blog post gets spurred just because someone took a minute to comment.
See? I need you, readers! I need your comments. So today, I’m going to ask you for a favor: LEAVE ME A COMMENT.
If you’ve never commented before, you can easily register on Blogger if you want to do that, but otherwise you can just leave an Anonymous note—those don’t scare me. If you have left a comment before, may I just virtually hug you? Thank you so much! And keep ‘em coming!
Yep, I’m begging today, folks. I need a comment. Even if it’s just a simple “hello, I’m reading” it will make my day if you do that. If you really don’t know what to write, just tell me where you live.
So, next time I see you at the gym or at the game or at the grocery store and you say to me, “Oh, I see Kate made a college decision!” I’ll be able to say, “Yes, and I know what you think about that.”
I nearly hugged her. If I hadn’t been all sweaty, I just might have.
A couple of weeks ago I sat down at the high school football game ready to cheer the Falcons to victory when another dear friend turned around and said, “So, you’re going to write about public school, huh? Good luck with that one.”
We shared a bit of a laugh together . . . once I figured out that she had read my blog that day.
And this week I got the sweetest note in the actual mail (!) from yet another reader who mentioned that my blog was a blessing to her. Tears in these eyes, yes there were, when I read that one.
Seriously, I just love it when people tell me they read my blog. It doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does, I’m always pleasantly caught by surprise.
When someone tells me they’ve been reading the blog, do you know what I do? I mentally scan back through all my old posts and try to figure out what I’ve written that might possibly offend that person. (Chances are pretty good there’s something there—keep looking.) And then I mentally think of all the silly things I’ve written—the trite and the simple—that might make them not want to come back again.
And then I smile real big and say, “Oh my goodness, you have no idea what that means to me.” And I mean it. Just the fact that you’re sitting here right now, reading my insecure thoughts about my little life even though it is just a silly little hobby that has begun to mean something to me, means the world to me.
Of all the blogs in all the world in all the blogosphere on the entire internet, you chose mine.
But sometimes I feel like it’s not fair. All of you know what’s happening in my life, but I don’t know what’s happening in yours. I know, that’s the nature of the blog, and if you wanted to splash your “stuff” all over the internet you would start your own blog. I get that.
But here’s the thing . . . I sometimes wish I knew who was out there reading all my mundane musings. I wish I knew if what I write made you think about an issue differently or helped clarify your thinking or made you laugh.
See, the internet is a community—a dialogue, if you will (I really hate that word).
You can say anything you want in the comments. Preferably things like “I love this post” or “Great points!” or “Wanna have coffee next week?” but you could also tell me I’m crazy and I should go fly a kite. At least I’ll know you’re out there.
You are out there, aren’t you? Hello??
The comments let me know you’re reading me. But they also encourage me. A lot. And sometimes I get a new idea from a comment or I see an issue in a new way. And then a new blog post gets spurred just because someone took a minute to comment.
See? I need you, readers! I need your comments. So today, I’m going to ask you for a favor: LEAVE ME A COMMENT.
If you’ve never commented before, you can easily register on Blogger if you want to do that, but otherwise you can just leave an Anonymous note—those don’t scare me. If you have left a comment before, may I just virtually hug you? Thank you so much! And keep ‘em coming!
Yep, I’m begging today, folks. I need a comment. Even if it’s just a simple “hello, I’m reading” it will make my day if you do that. If you really don’t know what to write, just tell me where you live.
So, next time I see you at the gym or at the game or at the grocery store and you say to me, “Oh, I see Kate made a college decision!” I’ll be able to say, “Yes, and I know what you think about that.”
