Can I write a blog post after only getting several hours of sleep? It depends. If I’m aiming for perfection, the answer is no. But if I just want to jot down some thoughts, add a random image, and hit ‘publish’, I could do it.
It’s strange how I put so much time and effort into each post, especially when I know only a few people will read it. Why do I agonise over my sentences, pushing the words around for ages before I’m happy? Why do I reject word after word before I find the exact one I want in my closing sentence?
I guess there’s the challenge of writing something that gives me a feeling of satisfaction. But does perfection matter for everyone else? Surely, most people skim through stories and would be quite content with my first or second versions. No one needs the version that took me all day or longer to write.
Every day, I jot down notes about the ideas that pop into my head. I think, “I’ll turn those ideas into blog posts.” But usually, I don’t because I know I haven’t got time to write and edit so many posts. So, the ideas remain unshared. My blog remains at a standstill.
And I don’t tell you about:
- The daily missal readings and Rosary graphics I’m making
- The books I’m reading and the ones I’d like to read
- House of David and other mini-series I’m enjoying
- The things I’m adding to my journal
- The results of my AI-generated podcasts experiment
- A thought about AI shaming
- My drawing experiment
- The helpful Examen app I discovered
- Digital gardens
- A bird identification app
- My slippery kangaroo story
- My restoration story
- Fascia strength training
- The Keto Slacking diet
- Making photo albums using Keynote
- Adding text to photos
- And many other things
Does it matter if my ideas drift away without me writing about them? I tell myself that blogging is unimportant. It’s okay if my notes remain hidden on my phone or in my head. And then I think about the value of sharing, the conversations we could have, and what I could learn as I write my posts.
In her book, Tiny Experiments, Anne-Laure Le Cunff suggests we design tiny experiments motivated by our curiosity. We make a pact with ourselves: I’ll do this particular thing for this amount of time and then look at the data. We announce our pact to hold ourselves accountable.
So, I’m going to write blog posts for the next month. How many each week? Shall I aim for three? That’s my pact. And then I will evaluate the results. Did I enjoy writing? What did I learn?
The posts won’t be perfect. They’ll be my unimpressive quick thoughts and a photo or two. But maybe you can improve them by commenting, adding your own ideas, continuing the conversation.
I could always return to a published post at a later date and work on it some more. But to do that, I need a first version or maybe a second one. I don’t need a perfect story.
As I finish this post, writing the concluding words, I feel a bit nervous. Do I really want to make a blog-writing commitment? Perhaps I shouldn’t tell you about my pact, because what if I change my mind?
Making a commitment is hard, isn’t it? Especially when we’re tired. I’ve been tired for years, so I don’t make many commitments. It’ll be interesting to see how this one turns out.
Image
This magnificent owl photo was taken by Richard Lee, Unsplash.
I have lots of gorgeous bird photos on my phone. They’re waiting. I might tell you how I will use them another time.
So…
Do you jot down your ideas? On a phone? In a notebook? In a social media post? In your digital garden? Do you find commitments difficult to make? And what about birds? Which ones do you see where you live?
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Hi Sue! I bet even your quicker posts will come out great! You are a wonderful writer! You should write about some of the ideas on your list! I “try” to write once per week for my ministry’s website – if I have an idea. I do not spend as much time as you do on your blog. I usually choose one picture and then write several paragraphs. Most of my posts are okay but every so often one is especially good.
Gina,
You are such an encouraging friend. Thank you!
Your ministry website is beautiful. I love all the images that catch the eye and lead to your words.
‘every so often one is especially good’… yes! Sometimes the words flow out without much thought from us, don’t they? It’s as if they need to be written. It’s magical when that happens. Or maybe the posts are divinely inspired.
Please keep adding to your website. It’s important!
Hi Gina. I would love to visit your website. Would you please give me the link? God Bless you.
I’ll be looking forward to them, Sue. I hope to hop back on and tell you about the birds who built their nest under my electric Ninja grill this year. Love you!
Michelle,
Thank you! I love how blog posts can lead to interesting conversations. I always enjoy sharing thoughts with you.
Birds are one of my delights. I watch out for them and listen for their songs.
I sometimes see a small blackbird emerge from the bushes in our front garden. He is rather timid and will disappear if I move too quickly at the window.
I often watch the olive-backed orioles and bower birds stealing our dog’s food from her bowl on our patio. They swoop down from the trees, approach the bowl a hop at a time, aware that the dog is watching them from her kennel. Years ago, the dog would have pounced on the birds, but now she tolerates them. When she thinks they’ve eaten enough of her food, she emerges slowly from her kennel and stretches, giving the birds time to fly away.
Please tell me your bird story! It sounds like your grill has been out of action for a while. No summer barbecues because of the birds!
The kids and I enjoyed hearing this. Thank you. Here is our little bird story. In the spirit of your post, I decided to send my first draft, with little editing. God Bless!
Firstly, our gas Weber grill was taken over by field mice. I gave up on that and purchased the outdoor Ninja electric grill. It has a nice little stand, sits near the sliding doors and is visible from the large window over the kitchen sink. One summer day, I noticed a sparrow building a nest underneath. I decided to let it go. A few weeks later, dog going crazy, we saw a tiny baby bird, clearly too small to learn to fly, who’d fallen from the nest and was in distress. After a quick AI Assist, we decided to put it back into the nest. When I picked it up, it cuddled right into the palm of my hand as if knowing it was safe. It was warm and soft and sweet. My late son, Michael, had a tattoo of a sparrow (said it kept him afloat) and so it had special significance for me. I could not save him, but maybe I could save the bird.
Through the large window, we watched and waited for signs of the mother. Sure enough, she came back within the hour! Everyone was excited and relieved. Watching her land with a nice, juicy worm was the best thing.
Not too long after, we noticed some commotion on the grill table edge. It was the mom and dad, and not one, but two baby birds emerging from the nest ready to fly! What a surprise! We all gathered around to watch as they hopped, jumped and flew around the deck, up on the back of the chair, down on the ground, fluffy and round, with a little tufts of feathers and no necks, fly off, never to return.
You were right about the loss of the use of the grill! But, it was worth it. It’s clean now and we’ve enjoyed a few good meals since.
Michelle,
Oh, what a beautiful bird story! Thank you for sharing it. I can imagine you all peering out of your kitchen window, feeling excited and relieved.
I love the connection between the sparrows and your son, Michael. That is so special.
I wonder if the grill will become a nest again. Enjoy it while you can just in case another family of birds decides it’s the perfect place to nest!
I want to read all the blogposts you can write! Your list of possible topics sounds great. I like your challenge 🙂 Yes, simply writing down your thoughts is just fine and I am sure it will be enjoyable for all of us.
I like birds, too. One summer we had a little bird family in our small backyard, that was so sweet to watch. But we have many cats in our neighborhood, so I was worried for the little ones. THankfully, I think all of them made it.
My father loves birds and when I recognize some, that he thought me about, it is a beautiful connection to the nature, to my father and to our loving God who created all of us.
I am also tired, sleepless nights with baby, toddler, big kids.. so it all adds up. Let us make the best of our tired days (months, years… 🙂
Luana,
Thank you for your interest in my blog posts! I must admit that yesterday I almost regretted making the blogging pact. I was extra-tired and couldn’t think of a single thing to write about. After cooking the worst poached eggs ever, I suddenly realised I could write about one of the topics I’d listed in this post. So, I wrote my second challenge post. Only 10 more to go before the pact ends!
Oh yes, cats can be a problem for birds. We’ve always kept our cats inside so they can’t harm our local wildlife. A lot of our neighbours do this as well. But there’s one roaming cat that’s always trying to get into our garden. Fortunately, it stops when Quinn spots it and barks loudly. The cat quickly slinks away.
I’m sorry to hear you’re tired. You are right: we should make the most of our tired days. We can’t wish them away because they contain delights and blessings. I guess we have to look beyond our tiredness to see and appreciate them!