blogging makes me want to be a better human being

I never imagined I would be blogging about blogging.

My intention has never been to learn the intricacies of Search Engine Optimization, to tweet or twit or flik or collect thousands of virtual friends.

I never had any desire to enter into excessively redundant and ultimately unresolved global blusterings regarding politics, celebrity sexual indiscretions, or other fleeting topics du jour — although I admit I have been known to venture into the sidebar of Huffington Post to ogle what our beautiful First Lady has worn lately.

I simply wanted a place with my name over the door. A studio, a gallery, where my growing body of creative work could take up residence and folks could drop by at their convenience (not mine) to browse and ponder and perhaps then step over to the bookstore and purchase my offerings.

I felt confident that the inclusion of my particular brand of “intelligent inspiration” would add an essential ingredient to a richer blogosphere and an evolving universe. Hearts might be touched; spirits lifted; lives changed.

In all honesty, however, I don’t believe I ever entertained the notion that the act of blogging would, in fact, fundamentally change me, as well.

Recently, I reconnected after limping along for more than a year without accessible or reliable Internet under my own roof. I live in a rather remote area in the rural southwestern US, smack dab in the center of the “Digital Divide” and have also historically been a staunch resister of multi-year contracts. Actually, I couldn’t afford the hookup, either.

Thanks to recent, frequent forays into the WordPress Support Forums, I have had the great pleasure of discovering relatively new blogs and bloggers who are speaking in courageous and passionate voices. Frankly, they’re blowing me away with the ways in which they bravely speak their own truths.

Recently I declared to one indefatigable Forum Volunteer, “You make me want to be a better blogger.” In fact, I’m now realizing that blogging makes me want to be a better human being.

Here’s a shout-out to some of the folks who are inspiring me today:

Though the tyranny of addiction has not been part of my path, I am captivated and inspired by Joe R’s personal tale of overcoming addiction.

Though I admittedly spend more time writing poetry than reading it, I was astonished by the poems of a 15-year-old girl from Hong Kong whose depth belies her youth…

…and touched by a 20-year-old college student (male) who openly shares his emotions and his hope for a better world through his poetry.

And, a self-identified “30-something Jewish guy” has just returned to activist blogging about hope, tolerance, and kindness after shutting down his original blog in the face of being  “constantly under the siege of racists and hecklers.”

In my own work, I consistently encourage people to release patterns and beliefs that no longer serve them on their journey to wholeness. The act of becoming clear about your own path and summoning up the courage to speak your own personal truth underlies most of my writings.

Inspiration is everywhere. It may be gritty, challenging, raw, refined, potent, quiet, or cloaked in something as seemingly mundane as giving or receiving technical assistance on the WordPress Community Forums.

Doors are ajar wherever you turn. Which ones will you choose to lean into — and which ones will you hold open for others to walk through?

I am grateful to all who are doing what they can to keep the humanity in technology, and invite you to support them by visiting their sites and leaving Comments.  I’ll spotlight some others in upcoming posts.