I’d Like To #bloginstead

After taking December off from any posting on The Homely Hours, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to start a personal blog — one where I could write about whatever I wanted to write and take myself less seriously.

When I was a piano major, deciding whether or not to switch to a Biblical Studies major, my beloved teacher gave me some advice that’s transferred to several different situations. She said, “Amanda, you should only be a piano major if you can’t be anything else.”

That instantly gave me clarity — I had to drag myself to the practice rooms for the 3 to 4 hours minimum practice per day. But on the other hand, I had friends who couldn’t leave — compelled by a deep joy in the music that remained even when they didn’t necessarily feel like practicing. Meanwhile, while I was laboring over my piano repertoire, I would be pining over the reading/researching and writing that I had been accustomed to in high school. Because at the end of the day, I’d always rather be reading and writing than doing pretty much anything else.

So, to bring it back to my teacher’s advice, I read and I write because I can’t do anything else. I process through writing (I’m not a healthy person if I don’t journal). I discover and adventure through writing.

That’s a bit about why I write, but why do I need to add to the internet clutter with yet another personal blog? Here it is, simply put: I just want to. I think it’s fun. I think it’s a good way to take myself more lightly. I have avenues for more serious writing, but I want to write about things like why I am among the 0.5% of women who adore Patrick O’Brian’s series about naval strategy and the Napoleonic Wars. I want to write about why I binge-read most of a book about body alignment last night. I want to write about how just now, my 3 year old was on a stool trying to reach for the bananas on the counter. When I grabbed one for her and started to pull back the stem, she cried, “No, I didn’t want you to peel it, I wanted to pretend it was my baby” (I don’t know where I really would go with writing about this, but I really enjoyed the moment).

In other words, I want to write posts about random topics that I used to write about on social media (and serious topics, too, that I’m working through). And that brings me to Melinda Johnson’s fantastic #bloginstead challenge. For the next 3 days, I’m joining in with a group of bloggers who are going to post on their blogs instead of social media. Then, we’re going to reflect and observe.

Even though this blog is still “under construction,” I decided to jump in and join in order to not overthink and get this going. And, with that, I’m also not going to overthink this post. I normally edit much more, but I’m going to let this be a stream-of-consciousness post in the spirit of forgetting-myself fun and getting on-board in the last minute.

[Update: The banana ‘baby’ is now very brown.]

14 thoughts on “I’d Like To #bloginstead”

  2. Please give the banana my love.
    It’s funny – nobody asks you why you’re on Facebook, but there’s something more deliberate about starting a blog. I was thinking about this last night. Someone chatting with you on Facebook is like seeing a friend at the mall. Someone commenting on your blog is like seeing a friend in your living room. That’s what I decided.

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    1. Yes! I love that analogy. I told my husband the other day that I think Instagram can be good for small talk, but it just gets weird when someone’s small talk gets put in the same feed as someone else’s heart-to-heart. Or, to use your analogy, when someone treats the mall like their living room (I’m picturing those mall massage chairs).

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    2. Melinda, my word for 2019 was “deliberate,” and it really changed the way I saw my choices over everything. Thanks for the reminder that blogging is deliberate. I love that.

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  3. This resonates with me. I’ve been writing on private posts to friends or in messenger, but thinking out loud through blogging feels like really thinking. Also, I love how you describe not being able to be/do anything else. It reminds me of St. Perpetua telling her father that she can’t be anything but what she is, a Christian.

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    1. Yes, I’ve also been trying to not just be a social media consumer, so I was making a point to DM people whom I really would like to connect with…. But, I’m just so full of conflict regarding social media, generally — I plan to write more about that in these few days. I like how you said “thinking out loud through blogging feels like really thinking.” When I decided to start this little blog, my husband was like, “Well, instead, could you just start a long correspondence with someone C.S. Lewis-style?” But I just think blogging is fun. And yes with St. Perpetua, which also reminds me of G.M. Hopkins’ “As Kingfishers Catch Fire.”

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    1. Me too! I’m looking forward to seeing what emerges out of it….. I took a quick look at your blog (I’m looking forward to my kids’ bedtime, when I can actually peruse all the blogs and write thoughtful comments) and really enjoyed what I read, too (Like you, I’m not sure whether I’m a 4w5 or a 5w4, but I’m also not sure whether it really matters.)….

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  5. In reading the comments, it seems that there is a common thread of ambivalence toward social media. I find that too much time on it really increases my anxiety (which I don’t need help with, lol:) and I was already thinking through how to navigate that when this challenge came along. Perfect timing, really.

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  6. Pingback: #bloginstead: Day 2 morning news – Melinda Johnson, Writing

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