My daughter just finished reading the Iliad for homeschooling. Like just about every high school age American youth, she was not a fan.
“Mom, they literally start in the middle of the story. You have no idea what is going on and who all of these people are. There’s no context or background. Why would they make us read this?”
I’m sitting here thinking that maybe I’m a little like Homer? He told legends of gods and men, sometimes retelling from others and, like my daughter points out, the beginning had been lost and cut off. Except really, he didn’t even know that, did he? He told stories and others wrote them down afterward.
Goodness, I don’t want to get so busy talking that I never sit down and put the words to a page as I’ve always meant to do. I decided that I just need to start. It had to be somewhere and it just happened to be this week. I will add some context over time, but if it’s basically “all Greek to you,” I ask you to just hold on a little while.
Let’s backtrack a bit.
Sunday I shared a letter about my parents and celebrating 51 years of marriage.
18,629 Days and Counting – A Letter To My Parents
On Monday I dropped you into the middle of my story and basically flashed you with a baring of my soul and view into my spiritual journey.
My Body Was Broken, But My Soul Has Turned The Corner
Then yesterday I walked you around my house, without makeup on. Obviously, something is going on but you can’t tell what I’m getting into. Even my husband said, “Why in the world did you carry around your laptop instead of your phone, with a better camera?”
Bringing Home The Awkward
(Note: My husband is a super awesome AV consultant who designs AV systems in the millions of dollars, for techie stuff I don’t understand. He was not home when I did this video and definitely facepalmed when he saw it. He won’t be showing it off to his clients, but did laugh and watch it again. While he was appalled, he also may be my newest recruit in finding better equipment. So Awkward wasn’t a total loss, right?)
Today I’m going to give you a little insight into my goals. I know that you want some context, so I’m going to give you what I’m working toward. While details of the health stuff may come out over our time together, as I use it to share what I’ve learned, I know you do not want it all at once in a 5,000,000 word blog post.
You are welcome.
If you are new to my blog, you should know that I blogged for many years before. I had enough readers to feel absolutely content in my reach and very successful. At one point I started something like a podcast and absolutely LOVED LOVED pouring myself out for people. It was wonderful. I want to do that again.
I cut it off over two years ago, cold turkey in a need to focus on my family and hold boundaries. What appears right now to be out-of-nowhere is more of a jumping-back-in and not skipping a beat. At this time, the majority of my older writings are private and may be repurposed over time, but there’s a lesson in that I’ll be getting to as well.
See? You thought vaguebooking was bad, I’m over here vagueblogging… are you still reading this?
Here are the Cliffnotes on my “Why?” of this week’s postings. Maybe it will help:
Some of My Actual Goals FYI:
1. Be active here, on my blog, because I’ve avoided it like that friend you totally dropped while busy and now your ghosting because you know it’s your own fault. I didn’t mean to!
2. Finish one of the three books that I have sitting on my hard drive (one is close!) because I want them out there for you to read.
3. Start awkward conversations in a podcast/vlog that will get us all thinking, challenging each other, and claiming the margins on the pages of our own history, even if you need copious amounts of footnotes as I do.
I don’t want an awkward story like the Iliad, but that is what I’ve been given. I want the audacity of admitting I’m a nobody with only a few minutes here and there, but the determination of sharing that with others.
I’m inviting you into my margins! This is as close to an Iliad as I’ll ever get.
I believe I have important things for you to hear, and I know that God’s told me to do it. That’s it. It may take a while for this to roll smoothly.
Please consider these random spurts as a sort of jump-start to a dead battery that still has some juice, or maybe it’s more of an awkward side-hug from that friend who you just haven’t seen or heard from in years. Yeah, awkward, but man we used to share so much together!!
Let’s get right back to THAT!!
Also, have you LIKED me on Facebook yet? Please?
Followed on Instagram?
Give me two weeks. I have a point. I do. It’s just coming out with a limp instead of hitting the ground running.
My next step?
Another awkward video from the porch! It will be on my cell phone because my husband and teenagers are probably right about it being better quality. And safer to walk around with, I suppose.
Real Question:
Does anyone know how to actually use MailChimp? Apparently, I’m not really good at that either, but lots of people are signing up and you should, too!
