I attended a work related function last night and a lady thanked me for previously sharing information related to the presence of the blog and the contact link. She said, “I’m enjoying reading what you’ve written. She then mentioned Lilian, my granddaughter, who was the subject of a recent blog and commented on her creativity and enthusiasm regarding life. It was a feel-good moment for me.
When I was a kid growing up my mother often made reference to the need “to eat everything on your plate.” She’d then make a reference to “starving children in China”. “Waste not, want not” was another expression that frequently fell from her lips.
Child development experts today don’t advise forcing children to eat everything on their plate. In fact, attempting to force anyone to eat always has the potential of being a losing battle for the person attempting to enforce the requirement. Do you remember the behavior modification techniques that parents frequently used in the late 1970s and early 1980’s? How many M&Ms did we provide children to reinforce appropriate behavior. What were we thinking?
My wife still uses that same principal with her dog. I’m not going to suggest that the General (aka – my wife) is “old and set in her ways”, but Barnabas doesn’t need all the treats that get tossed in his direction. It is really difficult to watch a segment of HGTV without the dog wanting to go outside a multiple of times. Of course, every time he comes back indoors, he expects and routinely receives a treat.
Invariably, every time I’m on the telephone the dog starts barking for a treat. Barnabas is really a smart dog! He knows that I’ll do whatever it takes to silence him. As long as there are treats in the jar, I’ll toss them in his direction. That technique doesn’t set well with the General. She thinks the reward should be associated with an accomplishment. I’m not sure I totally agree. I figure I’m buying silence when I toss a treat his direction.
The perception by some that my blogs are too long is not a new revelation. My brother-in-law shared with me weeks ago that my blogs are too long for him to read. At the time I wasn’t sure if he was joking or serious. He asked for the cliff notes. Since one wasn’t forthcoming, he now occasionally asks his wife for a summary. I’m not faulting him for that. I’m just grateful he periodically asks.
When it comes to blogs, you don’t have to read it. Of course, I am grateful when you do. The reader also has full control over how much of it to read. Of course, I’ll suggest that you “left out” the best part if you opt not to read every line, but that is my value judgment and has no relationship to the reader’s reality. Fortunately, some have reported that their daily routine includes a cup of hot coffee leisurely enjoyed along with my blog.
For the past several weeks I’ve been attempting to eat healthier. I’ve even reached the place that I feel okay by leaving something on my plate. Finally, the old tapes from my childhood have disappeared in that regard.
I’m new to the world of daily writing and I have no idea what kind of expectations to hold related to interests of others. One of the features associated to the Weebly blog platform is the statistical report the platform generates. For example, over the past 30 day period (current month), the blog has been read by 4,100 unique visitors and 4,400 are the total pageviews read. I have only been writing the blog for four months. Over the past three month period, there have been 6,400 unique visitors and 6,800 total pageviews. Consequently, the increase over the past month is dramatic.
The feedback I most frequently hear about the blog is that something I’ve written reminds the reader of something from their past. The blog then serves as a catalyst for them to go back in the resources of their memory to remember and reflect on their own experiences.
A friend recently reported, “I read your blog. Yours was not the only family where a parent often used a phrase to chronicle an expectation. ‘The tree with bark on it’ is an expression my dad used often.” I repeated the phrase and didn’t manage to connect the dots in my head related to the meaning. When I asked for the meaning, she responded, “It means there is no room for future discussion. My decision is made. Move on to something else.”
Isn’t it true for all of us that at times life is lost in living? That is certainly true if we fail to reflect on the journey and take the time to process the life lessons learned. One of the advantages of my daily two and a half to three hour commute to work and back is an opportunity to reflect on life. On almost a daily basis I find myself asking, “God, what am I supposed to learn from this?”
It is almost as if I’m in the midst of a correspondence course related to life. If I don’t devote the time to reflect on experiences and inquire about the life lesson yet learned, I do myself a disservice.
One of the years my son played football in high school, the head coach orchestrated an early Saturday morning breakfast meeting each week. The dads of the players attended the meeting. On occasion they would play clips from the Friday night game and talk about what could be done differently.
How often do we look through the lenses of memory to determine what we could do differently to improve outcomes and quality of life? The rationale for my continuing to maintain the status quo related to the length of my blogs is the importance I place on the details. I want to have the full picture when I access the written memory. Please take all you want, but stay sensitive to your need. I won’t be offended if you choose to abbreviate your reading. However, it is the highest of compliments if you do.
Thank you.
Don