I think it's tragic that most new blogs, devoid of followers, post some of their best writing in the first few months only for them to go nearly completely unread. That's not to say that a person only has a few good things to say, but I do think it's true that some of the freshest and perhaps most daring ideas get expressed in that time before we have an audience.
Because of that, and in honor of my year of blogging, I'm going to occasionally repost some of my older writing in the next couple months. No, it will not be my sole form of posting, and it won't happen too often (why is there a taboo about this anyway?) but I do want to put some of this back out there.
To start things off, here's one from January 3 of last year called train of thought.
"Does anyone else lay in bed at night, thinking random thoughts, only to wonder how you ended up at the current thought, so you lay there for another 20 minutes circling back to the original idea?
Last night, all in the space of about an hour while trying to fall asleep, listening to my husband snore 2 minutes after he hit the pillow: What am I doing tomorrow? I should use that gift certificate tomorrow. I need a new dress. Something shiny to wear to that charity benefit in February. Then I could wear it to that wedding in April. So it needs to be appropriate for both. Surely it's a dress-up wedding. It's at the country club. I wonder how many people are invited. I wonder if my old friend X will be there. I haven't seen him in a while. I think he lives in DC now so he probably won't come. My cousin lives in DC now too. I wonder if they know each other. Wouldn't that be funny. She just got a new job. I wonder what she does exactly. I wonder what the weather is like there. Wait, why am I thinking about DC weather?... DC... cousin... friend... wedding... benefit... shiny dress... oh yeah, gift certificate. What am I doing tomorrow?
And then for another thirty minutes I laid there making a list in my head of the several errands I must run today, so many since I haven't had a free day since Halloween.
What I should have been thinking about: Why is it so long since I've seen my old friend? We're facebook friends but we hardly talk there. We were best friends in high school, the inseparable kind, knew each other's thoughts before they were thought, a real heart to heart, soul to soul connection. I have very few of those-- just my husband, my friend Karen, and my friend Betsy. I wonder why I let his friendship go all those years ago. Young then, only 18, leaving for college, dating someone who I thought at the time was SO important. That's when things started to fall apart, when I started dating someone. My friend and I were never like that, but I guess he just felt a little replaced.
Come to think of it, I'm not friends with anyone I knew in high school, so I don't really know why I'm going to this wedding in April. The bride and I were close then, but I haven't spoken to her in years. Why am I even invited?? We don't know each other. She wasn't invited to mine.
My wedding was small, only about 100 people invited, 80 attended, mostly family, and very close friends. The best complements I got were
A) thank you for having a short and sweet ceremony that happened to also be pretty (no problem)
B) it was like something from an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, a Great Gatsby jazz age Deco ball come to life, but without being costumey or themey (that was the point, so glad you noticed).
We really enjoyed our wedding, except for the part where my grandmother fell down the stairs, but that's another story altogether. And we did it pretty cheaply too, which was great in a town where the average wedding costs 30 grand. Who has that kind of money to spend? I can see easily how it's done, though, with one venue wanting to charge $2000 just for chairs.
Why am I thinking about the cost of wedding chairs? weddings... Fitzgerald... that wedding... not friends anymore... my old friend in DC... train of thought. Oh yeah."
Ohh, I do this nearly every night! Glad to know I'm not the only one :)
ReplyDeleteAnd love the idea of reading some older posts...
yip. know this thought process and you wrote it very well! I like the idea of recycling old posts as well, as often they are great (as this) but filtering back on each blogger...oh bother! :) Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteMy mind travels on that train, too! Then I will dream a really stupid dream in the wee hours starring one of those riding my "train" and spend my morning wondering why that personb was in my dream!
ReplyDeleteYou're right! That was great, very worthy of reposting. :)
ReplyDeleteThat happens to me a lot, but I don't get too lost on the path. It's my husband who says, "What in the world made you think of that?"
I tend to agree - when people follow your blog they don't go through and read the back issues so why not repost from time to time?
ReplyDeleteI remember this post well after reading it again. I must have found you right away back then because I started blogging 1/1/09! I loved this post because I do the same thing - my mind goes down a list of litanies before I can go to sleep. Good idea to repost!
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Nice blog within blog thing you got going there
ReplyDeleteI liked that one. Well worth the re-posting. I'm one of the weirdos who does go back to the start to read the first blog. I think it shows the essence of the person and I love exploring the progression in thought and writing. Those first few posts give an insight behind why the person began posting in the first place. In the begining it is all for you and there is a freedom in that.
ReplyDeleteI know when I started it was a venting room and now it is the storage room for the weirdness in my head. I never expected anyone would ever read it. I don't know what others make of it all. Do the ones who first followed like when I deviate from the norm? Should I start a second blog for the other voices in my head that need expression? Or can they accept that I am not just one voice? I like the idea that a blog is a fluid and evolving thing filled with the many and varied internal ramblings in our heads. But thats just me and as you can tell I ramble.
I've ridden that train many times - usually in the car (because I usually fall asleep before I can take the journey all the way back to the beginning). I actually think of it as a valuable memory tool. That's my story & I'm sticking to it!
ReplyDeleteThis certainly the way it goes. One thought leads to a whole new train of thought and on it goes. Then you look at the clock and it's 2:00 a.m.!
ReplyDeleteYes, I've come to a similar conclusion. Especially handy with a holiday coming up, too.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you posted it! Yes, I think the same way; when I am lucky it leads me to write something! But, if I do it at night I can never remember what I was thinking would be good to write about in the morning. But, my mind does just go feom one bend to the next ;).
ReplyDeletegreat post. looking forward to reading some more of your older posts.
ReplyDeleteA great idea there my chum. I also think its sad when older posts get lost in the past.
ReplyDeleteYour mind seems to be a whirlwind at night. You don't suffer from insomnia do you? I can imagine that kind of thinking will keep you awake for hours......