Nothing like Ironic, Hipster Moments to Kick You Into Gear

I am sitting in Starbucks.  I am drinking from my re-usable cup.  I am working.  I just read a satirical article about hipsters.  And damn it if I don't find the irony in that...

So this week is all about goals for me.  It's a slow work week and I'm giving myself a writing goal -- 3 posts this week: today, Wednesday and Friday.  So here goes.

I think for me, the biggest challenge of this blog has been just the vastness of it: I mean, what do I write about?  I know, I had a post listing things to write about earlier.  But for some strange reason, I've coupled reading and writing as "luxuries" in my life, to be enjoyed in small doses.  I even had to just stop myself to actively think "I am writing now.  I am enjoying this."  I worry so much about taking time for this pleasure in life that I scare myself away from even starting.  

I don't want to be that "mommy blogger" or "fitness blogger" or "life-style blogger".  I don't even like the title of blogger.  I want to be a writer. 

That word to me is much bigger and grander than "blogger".  Writer conjures images of Twain, Dickens, Austen and a time gone by when writing was an art.  Now, the written word is everywhere around us.  For me, there is no more luxurious joy than a book, blanket and cup of coffee.  Instead, the world is filled with books, magazines, newspapers, online content and WORDS!  I want to add to that, but something of meaning, something lasting, something to make someone, ANYONE stop and think and appreciate life for a moment.

I was sick last week and watched Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield.  In it, he quipped, "I watch the movie, I'm in and out in 2 hours."  The English professor corrected him in that in the book we create our own ideas and thoughts are are connected to the world around us.  That image resonated with me -- movies are great.  TV is great.  But books?  Books we can get lost in.  In a book, we decide what Harry Potter looks like.  As we read, we decide what Tom Sawyer sounds like.  In reading non-fiction, we assimilate the ideas into our own world view and broaden our horizons. 

So here's to finally settling into this blog.  It won't be organized, it will come together slowly.  But it will happen and my hope is lead to bigger things.

Here's to the written word!