So, it’s been a year now and what have we learned?
We found out that I have enough to say or sufficient interests to keep a blog going for at least one year! The concern might be that this particular effort could be labeled ”A Blog About Nothing” or “A Blog About Everything Under the Sun”. Specificity of Topic has been and will likely continue to be an issue. Sorry, folks, I’m not inclined to pigeon-hole what I want to do here.
I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. I like the freedom to write about whatever, whenever. If I feel like being a goof, I can be. If I want to address a serious topic, so be it. The only REAL problem with that is maybe the “more serious stuff” – like my political interests – gets discounted by those who go on to read the lighter, more inane posts. But I never really set out to make this a blog about Anything in Particular. And frankly, I have gotten to the point in life where I don’t really care about what most people think about what I do or how I do it.
The only exception to The Rule of course is Family. That’s kind of funny because they have always thought I was a bit goofy. And this latest interest of mine has confirmed that for them at least. Yet they seem to be generally supportive, even if they snicker at my enthusiasm.
Enthusiasm … That’s a topic all by itself.
I have found that I am a bit uber-enthusiastic, as if I really do have something people WANT or NEED to hear. This undoubtably is a touch of hubris on my part, but what the heck! If most people do not have an ego that they subconsciously (or consciously) need to be fed, they don’t bother to write a personal blog! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that … “hubris” be damned!
One lesson learned is that you cannot force creativity, even if it’s not really all that “creative”. I have to be in the right frame of mind and the right mood to write anything effectively. Trying to write when you’re not in a good place is futile … for me anyways. You can certainly construct sentences and do an adequate job or linking one thought to another; but the connection or emotion will never be there. As a result, I have grown to admire those who write for a living and have deadlines to meet whether they are in the mood or not.
Another lesson is that not Everyone likes to be mentioned on the internet, no matter how innocuous or inane the subject matter. It’s a funny phenomena since you would think this would only relate to people who think they could be “targets”. I know very few people who would qualify, and yet it’s been an issue. Oh well …
As for me, I’m a very middle-aged, very married, very suburban father of three mostly grown sons. I work for the Most Powerful Military Establishment in the World in a job few would understand and even fewer would appreciate, unless of course they thrived on bureaucracy and a sloth-like efficiency. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
Born and bred in Philadelphia and surroundings. Schooled at St. Jerome R.C. in Holmesburg, Father Judge High School, and LaSalle University (BA, MBA). And yes, I’m a bit OCD about the lawn, but really not all that cranky.
If you’d like to chat or respond to anything here, but don’t want to become a “target”, feel free to contact me at interlocutor.2@live.com. But please take the time to comment if you dare, conversation is such a lost art.
Peace and prosperity! …. Hatboro Mike
