Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!
"Mirror Mirror, on the wall"

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Sharing my Blog on Facebook was a big step!

Olivia and Duke: Play nice Olivia!

Yesterday was a BIG day for me when I put my blog out on facebook and I want to thank everyone for reading it and for all the kind responses I got!  It really means so much to me.  You may be wondering…”Why?”  Why am I doing this and what do I get out of my blog.

One week before Olivia was born, I injured my back pretty severely.  While I was lucky because the pain was mainly referred nerve pain in my leg and foot and at very least, I could hold Olivia when she was born, I couldn’t walk, or play tennis and golf.  So I had to figure out what I was going to do with all the time I had spent doing all of these things.  I have always loved writing, so I decided that I would sign up for a writing class.  For years I have fantasized about writing a sit-com about all the crazy things I see happening with my friends and family.  Kind of like a “Friends” or “Everybody loves Raymond” based on families with grown children, like mine.  Of course my children, as usual, challenged me with the question, WHO, Mom, would find your sit-com funny?   They still don’t understand how I can always find amusement in my life and it doesn’t really matter if they don’t get it.  I know there are people out there, like you, who get it.  People like me!

Anyway, I found a great writers workshop in Boston called Grub Street and looked at their schedule.   I would have taken any class that began immediately and that met during the day.  The only class that fit those requirements was, “Writing the hard truths”.  Well, I have some hard truths.  In my father’s last few years when he was caring for my mother, he took all his frustration and pain out on my sisters and me and played each of us against the other.  We still haven’t recovered.  I had some good painful truths to write about!   

After the first class, I was so intimidated.   My classmates wrote about truly devastating life experiences.  For example, one woman wrote about the abduction and murder of her niece, Sara Pryor; A story that I inhabited in the 80’s when I passed by the house where this child lived everyday when I took my children to pre-school.  There were yellow ribbons tied around a tree and signs hoping for information about Sara’s whereabouts. One woman was molested as a child and another timid, awkward man, had been married to a depressed schizophrenic for 25 years.  I imagined my classmates thinking that my stories about my “mean Daddy” were as traumatic in their eyes as not being able to buy a new pair of shoes because they ran out of my size! 

When I first presented my work, they ripped it apart.  Particularly criticizing my lack of honesty.  One woman in the class actually tried to defend me because she felt that my classmates were too harsh and that they should try to find something I had done well in my work.   I assured her that their criticism was valid and that I appreciated it and accepted it.  I took it all to heart and my next presentations were received with accolades mixed in with suggestions.  

I continued with writing workshops through the summer and decided that I had to have an intermediary goal to my sit-com, and the blog was conceived.   It makes me accountable to publishing a post at least once a week, it allows me to vent and share, but most importantly, as I go along, I am really finding my voice. 

It took me a long time before I e-mailed the link to a few friends and I was very careful about what I shared about my children, but I have learned that I am entitled to “my stories”.  At first, I sent every post to them for approval and found that they could accept anything I presented from my own point of view.  On Thanksgiving, when I told my kids that I was going to share my blog on Facebook, they turned to me with surprise.  “Are you still doing that?” they asked.  I laughed.  Oh well, now I know that I can really push the envelope.

I have heard so many of you tell me that you have left comments and they don’t get posted!!!  I am really so happy that you have visited and your comments and insights are so important to me.  I was hoping that I could start some conversations and  I need your feedback to make that happen. I am investigating this further and if it does not get resolved a.s.a.p., I may have to change my server. 

Again, thank you for reading and I hope that I can meet your interests with my topics and issues. 

3 comments:

  1. Here's a test comment.

    See:

    http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/blogger/thread?tid=1e09b9afa51603ba&hl=en

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  2. It is hard to believe that another year has gone by and Olivia is turning one year old and Maya, my granddaughter is turning two!
    Maya has developed her own personality and it is such fun being with her. She now recognizes me and knows who I am and what I am to her...when she comes down to Florida in the next week and a half, I am prepared for her energy and gathering sites to go and do!
    She has come a long way from the baby who sat and just played with the toys in front of her. Maya is now expressing herself and asking for things she wants. The language development is amazing, as she speaks in phrases and some sentences, albeit short ones.

    the biggest concern of mine is the car seat now. I think it should be turned around forward facing..she is just shy of two years old, besides the fact that her feet are up against the aback of the back seat. Anyway, we will work it out.

    I am very well prepared, with a full size crib as well as a high chair (portable one) which will pull up to the table. I am finishing up my Chanukah shopping and Ii think I will be prepared for her visit. Such fun we will all have.

    Hopefully all is well with other children..don't give up hope that this blog page is dohne. Just try and rework it, as I know you can do.

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  3. The last sentence of my comment was not made by me..strange that it came onto my comment.

    I cannot wait for Olivia to be down in Palm Beach along with Maya...we will have such fun together...

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