Blogs are a funny thing. They are a collection of stories, of journal pages, of how tos, of advice that is shared with the hopes that it connects with someone out there who understands. Sometimes they are written just for the sake of writing. (those are kind of the best)
I was chatting with a friend about a blog we both enjoy. The writing is good, the ‘characters’ in the story funny yet relatable, and the content interesting. My friend pointed out that all the photos and stories on this blog are angled in a very particular way. We might see a closeup, but we wouldn’t see the full picture in other words. It’s true that blogs show a window into our thoughts, a moment in time, a sliver of who we are and there is so much that is not said.
When we write we share a viewpoint-ours-that comes through the filter of our life experiences. Those experiences color everything we see in a way that no one else experiences. Yet there are nuggets of truth that we all share. Universal truths in life, parenting, relationships, money, and love. This is why I’m drawn to words-written, spoken, fiction, or truth. They take me outside of my head and allow me to see (if only for a moment) how someone else sees the world. In turn that leads to my change and growth-so it’s something I constantly seek.
For me writing and creating with words have always been a part of my life in one form or another. When I was a girl it was writing scary stories, creating really REALLY bad poetry about my all-consuming love of some long forgotten crush, making mix tapes (yes, that was an art form back then!), creating silly plays with my sister that we recorded (on a voice recorder-yes, I’m that old), and of course journaling (so very ’90s of me). Before I blogged I wrote long letters (remember those?), lengthy emails about important issues of the day, and spent way too much time in forums for parents when I became a mother.
This blog (and a few freelance gigs), twitter, and Facebook have been my writing outlet for the last 5+ years. While this blog has evolved over time I feel a pull to take things in a bit of a different direction sometimes. I still love working with sponsors, I still claim ownership of both money and motherhood as topics, but I find myself questioning what I’m sharing.
Am I really sharing the truth that’s in my heart?
People often come to me for advice on financial matters or just want to know more about me. But there is so much I don’t share. There’s a lot I won’t share or can’t because it’s too close to someone else’s heart-it may affect me but it’s not my story to tell. (I know such a blogger cliché to say, but it’s true.) But there are things I can do a better job of sharing-of letting you into my life a little more without compromising that.
So, I’m pulling back to show you the whole scene and sometimes it’s not exactly pretty like a close-up vignette.
Sure there are things I’ll leave out-after all if you came to my house I wouldn’t invite you to look through the basement or the attic, but I will aim and strive to be more ‘me’ from here on out.
Thanks for reading,
Kelly
Agreed. I bet that was amazing to read.
Thanks Andrea. xo
Love you. Filter or not 🙂 xo
David Allen says
That sounds like what I’ve done recently on Facebook, oddly enough to just opened my mouth and typed out about a page worth of random thoughts and life experiences. Indeed the best kind.