I might be making a huge generalization but in my almost year long blogging experience I have noticed that bloggers for the most part are a very positive bunch. Now I know that there are some who leave nasty anonymous comments and there has been some back-stabbing and name-calling (that just adds to the excitement for the rest of us) but all in all we seems to be a pretty optimistic lot even in the face of tough times. Maybe it is because we have our blogs from which to vent our frustrations regarding children, bosses, spouses, politicians and the crazy world in general and everyone knows that the old 60's scream therapy had some merit.
Of course, the question could be asked, "If a blogger screams on line, does anybody hear her?" Maybe not our families but definitely our blogging friends who are some of the most supportive people I have ever had the good fortune to met and someday perhaps I will get to face to face. Despite cross border and cultural differences we all face the same day-to-day dramas as well as some that are much bigger and scarier. When I sit down at my computer to read the latest posts I am struck by the common theme of making the best of the gifts you have in tough economic times , coping with a special needs child, moving across the ocean with three young children , sharing difficult stories that we all should hear , dealing with a sick child , writing some page-scrolling fiction, helping others or coping with the aftermath of a horrific accident.
Every post, however mundane sends a message to someone out there that we are all in this together - trying to raise our children to be happy and well-adjusted, keeping the magic in our marriages, dealing gracefully with a messy divorce or an aging parent. I can't think of any situation that I have found myself in lately that I haven't almost serendipitously found someone writing a post about. And when I am feeling lost and alone (even when surrounded by my family and friends in RL) reading every one's words about their trials and tribulations helps in a way that I hadn't found before.
I try to be a "glass half full" kind of person but it can be a struggle raising three very active and physical boys, married to and working with an entrepreneur struggling to keep a business afloat during a recession all while navigating the treacherous waters of (gasp) middle age. Sometimes the glass is half empty, fortunately I keep the bottle or coffee pot close at hand so that so I can always top it up as I fire up my computer and read my old favourites as well as lots of new (to me, anyways) friends.
I find that there is a lot of misery in the blog world as well as a good amount of happiness. It is about 50/50. There seem to be a lot of rants that go on. I think that it is an outlet either way.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, Cid...and spot on. I love this world of blogging and you summed it up so well....xo
ReplyDeleteI'd like to be a half-full kinda guy but I find I drink beer as fast as I can pour it.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, a good post. I feel the same way. We use blogging to spew out all kinds of stuff, whatever's going on with us as people somehow makes it to the blog. And I also agree this community is full of great people who are looking to connect with, and support, one another.
Group hugs all around!
IB
I totally agree. Blogging is actually helping me tremendously this year.
ReplyDeleteOtin, I guess I just click off the negative ones when I run across them.
ReplyDeleteBraja, you are the embodiment of the good side of blogging.
IB, nice to meet you and I've never met a bottle of beer I didn't like, half full or not.
Maggie, I'm so glad blogging is helping, I love reading your words.
I have found, since raising special needs children and more especially, since the unexpected and unexplained death of my five year old son, that life is just too short to focus on the negativity that perpetually surrounds all of us.
ReplyDeleteIf I write about how miserable I sometimes am, and face it, life isn't always a bowl of cherries, it is harder to get out of the funk. So I like to focus my energy on reminding myself that joy exists. Even if it is hiding behind a dark cloud.
The blogging community helped me cope and ultimately survive my devastating loss and I will always be tremendously grateful.
Great post! I'm really new to blogging and my husband blogs with me, so I can't really vent about him :) My in-laws even read my blog so there goes all of that venting, too! But I have seen some really amazing people talk about things they'd probably never say out loud and I think that's wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI myself am trying to talk about trying to raise my daughter when I came from an abusive family. It's hard to be a parent when you had no model. I can only hope to have the experience you've mentioned!
Happy Sunday from SITS :)
Courtney
http://www.theartofbeingmom.com
Perfectly summed up.... I think it says something about the kind of blogs you read, too. I often click away from posts that are overbearingly negative or are wallowing in bitterness and gravitate to blogs that are written by people who can keep laughing no matter what life has tossed their way. I know we all stumble and give in to bad feelings or self-pity occasionally, but bloggers do seem to be a pretty resilient bunch. And I'm with Tanis and agree that I'm not sure how I would've made it through some of the trials in the last year without this amazing community. :)
ReplyDeleteYour reflections on blogging are spot on. I would add that blogging has also enabled me to catch glimpses into worlds/lives I never would have had the opportunity to encounter otherwise.
ReplyDeleteWe have been going through some extremely tough times with our 17 year old son. In my real time friends I mostly find an uncomfortableness. In the blog world, I have friends who are going through similar issues and it does help so much.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic post and so true. The blogging community is one that lifts me up, helps me get through and keep me going for much of the time, sometimes when my own family don't get it, the blogging mother's out there support me.
ReplyDelete