Be the Blog

Recently, My Reflecting Pool nominated me for the "Be the Blog" award. I was honored, but also really surprised. When I started blogging, I saw it as a way of emptying out some of the ideas buzzing around my head. Rather than have all these random thoughts taking up a lot of my time, I thought, why not write them down somewhere. I could come back to them later on; in the meantime, they would be available for people to look at, laugh at, critique, yell at, etc...

As I started getting more into blogging, I began using this space to document aspects of my life. This has been particularly helpful lately, as my life has been changing a lot, and it's given me a place to think about who I am, what I'm becoming, and how my world is changing.

All that having been said, being the blog is something that I've aspired to, but not necessarily something that I've reached. However, I know a few people who have done just that. Here they are:

Claudia, of La Vida Claudia, has been working on becoming a photographer. In the meantime, she's had all sorts of daily struggles, moments of artistic confusion, and family troubles. She has moved from place to place, and has used the experience to explore how she feels about the concept of home. In other words, Claudia has grown in the time that I've read her, and she's been bold enough to put that growth out on the internet for everyone to see.

Slaghammer hasn't posted much recently, but his blog has always been one of my favorite stops. In addition to the fact that he writes beautifully, Slaghammer is also in the middle of many changes, and has used his blog to document his physical pains, his slow coming-to-terms with his past, and his own artistic struggles.

Mystic Wing is also exploring his own potential. He's documented his struggles with finding inner peace, his occasional moral struggles, and his difficulty in dealing with a body that isn't always as young as his soul. Through it all, he's embraced change and shared that change with his readers.

Call him Monty, call him David, call him CEO...regardless of his name, the proprietor of The Morning Meeting is as interesting as they come. In the time I have been reading him, he has lost a few beloved friends, had health problems, survived said health problems, and gotten a job. Along the way, he's documented his life with humor and humility, and has taken the time to encourage a lot of other bloggers on their own explorations.

Lex, of On Second Thought doesn't seem to take anything for granted. She explores her struggles with religion, race, work, body issues, cooking...you name it, she's thinking it through. My favorite thing about Lex is that she constantly encourages me to reconsider my own assumptions and have the bravery to address my own issues.

As a blogger, I try to use my little space to entertain people and share my ideas; most of all, though, I try to use it as a place to be myself, but more so. It's an area for me to document the changes in my life even as I think them over and consider how I will respond to them. These authors, and several others, have shown me how to do that with grace and artistry.