I believe blogging is that hello after saying goodbye to my two youngest daughters when they went off for college.
It is a cliché to say that life is too short to be unhappy. As I’ve said in previous posts, clichés become clichés because they’re true. I recently decided to focus the posts you will find here on offering advice.
In the two months since I’ve been blogging my blogs have taken four 180 degree turns (okay, that isn’t possible. You can do the math). I’ve taken dizzying turns from pet blogger, entertainment reviewer, current event blogger, and advice columnist. A new follower observed that my blog was bipolar. It was funny, and very true.
Why I settled on advice blogging when I am clearly passionate about all four topics contained an epiphany, or at least someone who had an epiphany. Don’t all revelations?
I was in the beauty parlor over the weekend sitting idly by waiting for my turn. I decided to read Jon Morrow’s articles on blogging tips. He’s good. An article written by him sat in my inbox for a long time. Not believing it had any practical use for me since it looked like an anecdote, I ignored it. It was only when I was so bored waiting for my turn that I read it. What irony. It changed the course and direction of my future, or at least my blogging future.
I knew Jon was a paraplegic. Maybe because I’m a teacher, I see everyone the same, so it never occurred to me to wonder why he was a paraplegic. The article explained he was hit by a speeding car and spent months of recovery during which he reflected on his life. He discovered he was not happy in his current life and had an epiphany–he wanted to help people. That’s what I want to do.
I try to avoid taking a religious tone in my writing. However, if you will indulge me… if angels exist, that’s what I would want to be if I could have any skill at all. Jon’s article made me realize that I don’t have to wait until I meet St. Peter to help people. The letters I’ve received from readers have supported me in this decision since they make me feel that I really am helping them, even in the tiniest of ways.
In closing, children’s author Dr. Seuss once wrote, “A person’s a person no matter how small.”
I will tweak his words to explain why I am now in the blogosphere:
Helping is helping no matter how small. If I could have any skill in the world, that’s the skill I’d want to have, the ability to help people in the manner of a super hero and be an angel while I’m still here on this earth.
