Today, I came up with a tag line for my blog: A Boomer Being. It’s on the left hand side of the screen, beneath KM Huber’s Blog. My belief in Oneness and my attempts at Being are the basis for this blog but you, Dear Reader, are its heart.
Thank you for visiting my blog—whether it’s your first time and last time or whether you’re a regular—in that moment, we connect in ways we may never realize. That is “spooky action at a distance.”
My blog has been up for less than two months, and your incredible response warms my heart, truly. In fact, you’ve changed my life, and I mean that with all my heart.
If you blog or participate in social media, you know the fear of “pressing” your words into print. Chagrin, terror loom. You really can’t take those words back. Oh, you can delete a published blog page or a comment and never hear about it but here’s a hint: commit the word cache to memory. I promise you at least one pair of eyes found your words, knows what you tried to take back.
Technology just may force us into being thoughtful and patient, qualities we do well when we are them. Magnanimity is a marvelous human trait that is not used as frequently as it might be but blogging and writing in the ether give new meaning to being in the moment.
Welcome to the world of the open heart: the 21st century.
There is a revolution going on across the globe every minute of every day. We are seeing ourselves as we’ve never seen ourselves, and it’s a bit of a shock, which revelation always is. There seems no place to hide but there never was is what we are discovering.
As an aging feminist and boomer, I was born to revolution; as an aging writer, I know I am living in a golden age of words still being arranged and rearranged but language is within the Oneness that connects us all.
WANA Commons
At almost sixty, I am categorized as a boomer by virtue of my age but I really am a hippie, still. Yet being, really being, is new to me after six decades of a lot of doing–and not always well. Now, living moment by moment, I am not rushing anywhere anymore for anyone. Frankly, it is all I can do to be for the rest of my life—it’s that compelling.
Some label life as spirit being human, and it just may be, but life is an experience that we take in and let go, usually unevenly, especially the letting go part.
But maybe now that we reach round the world any time we want to, we will open our hearts to each other completely. Certainly, it seems we can, Dear Reader, although I did not believe it two months ago.
You, Dear Reader, showed me all is possible, and for you, I blog.
ROW80 Wednesday Word Marking:
From January 2 until February 4, my goal was to write 250 words per day—as blog posts, fiction, or nonfiction–for an approximate total of 8250 words.
Beginning February 4, I started the “30-minute” stretch in which I write for 30 minutes. So far, that has generated just over 9,800 words, almost half of those words will see another format. I generate another 1200 to 2000 words per week as blogs, fiction, and nonfiction.
I achieved my goal of returning to writing regularly. Now, the 30 minute stretches have found focus as drafts of future blogs, eliminating the time crunch of making the Sunday and Wednesday press deadlines. My goal is to schedule my all my blogs so I am not on “deadline” ever. For this round of ROW80, I am just over 20, 800 words. I am so pleased that I am writing regularly.
I signed up for Bob Mayer’s Idea and Conflict Workshop that begins March 3. With this workshop, I will finally start putting together pieces of a story I’ve had for sometime–my first write-through of a novel seventeen years ago. Structurally, I never considered it a novel–it’s always been an exploration of my writing process–I knew there were some strong pieces without a true story. With this workshop, I’ll test my idea, which means I have a novel to write, and I am excited.
KM Huber's Blog 
I guess I am another boomer – nice one. Thank you for that!
LikeLike
Here’s to boomers being; enjoyed yesterday’s post on your blog, http://dianajhale.wordpress.com. Have been thinking about watery music ever since. Don’t be a stranger.
Karen
LikeLike
Hi Karen
Thanks for looking and liking. I’m following back!Diana
LikeLike
What a sweet post! I love what you said about taking care with posts, since someone is bound to read them. And good for you for committing to writing 30 minutes every day! I haven’t been able to do that, yet. I tend to go more in spurts.
LikeLike
For me, writing regularly is the only way I get any words worth keeping; blogging really helps in that regard. Thanks for stopping by, Ann! Hope to see you here again.
Karen
LikeLike
As someone who was raised by two of the most frustrating and amazing “Boomers” out there… I agree “Baby” has nothing to do with it. There is a depth that I have watched grow alongside me in their own actions, manners, and worldview. And this despite Mom and Dad being two of the most “aware” people I’d met for years.
Social Media, whether is is blogging, Facebook, Twitter or even email, is bringing us closer. It’s forcing us to take more care in expressing ourselves, it’s connecting us with people who have such vastly different experiences than our own and showing us how very similar they are to us after all. It’s making the world a much smaller place… But in a good way.
In a lot of my research, I have to study the causes of war and human atrocities, In almost every case where there is human against human violence and cruelty, there is a dehumanization of the enemy. As social media grows and people relate themselves through the pixels on their iPhone screens, they almost always end up humanizing the person on the other end,
This, I believe, is a good thing.
LikeLike
Beautifully written, Eden, which is your way. I so agree that if we will be human, we will be always. This blog is richer for your comments, Eden.
Karen
LikeLike
Good for you Karen, another beautiful blog that makes my brain think! You certainly take my mind and my heart to places I haven’t been for a long time. Keep up the great work, and please keep inspiring us! You’re doing super!
LikeLike
Oh, Dona, my trusted Scrabble partner of equanimity, you are part of my every day. We trade words, discover them and chat with them. You keep me human, and I am grateful.
Hugs,
Karen
LikeLike
I like A Boomer Being! Your blog is awesome, and the connections you’ve made are amazing. Someday, I too, will blog. Sigh! In the meantime, you inspire me!
LikeLike
Oh, Lizzie, I look forward to the day of your blog. You’ve been inspiring me for years!
LikeLike
Congrats on all the words, Karen! Timers can be lovely things, so liberating in a weird way, given the fact that they are by nature limiting. Go figure. 🙂
Hope the workshop is great for you!
LikeLike
Limits are usually limitless, just as you say, Ruth. When I started ROW80, I purposefully avoided any counts; you can see the result of that. Nonetheless, I am reminded what writing regularly accomplishes, for one thing enough courage to sign up for a workshop. ROW80 has been a pleasant and rewarding surprise, not the least of which is meeting fine writers like you.
Thanks for stopping by, Ruth. Don’t be a stranger.
Karen
LikeLike
You are a writer, and a good one. Your words pull me through to the end whether you are talking about Cooper or Boomers. I very much enjoy hitching a ride and traveling along with you through your words.
I am a Boomer. I was born in the last year. It has often left me feeling in between Boomers and Generation X. Not old enough for the Boomers and not young enough for X.
I love your thoughts on Blogging bringing people together. I knew that social media brought people together but I hadn’t thought of the actual blogging doing the same. It makes sense though sense we are able to share more of ourselves within a blog post than we can in 140 characters.
Congratulations for doing so well with your goals. I am so glad that blogging has helped you understand your writing. It seems to be doing the same for me.
Peace,
Morgan
LikeLike
Oh, Morgan, you are such a bright spot any time of the day. I have a Twitter account that is all but inactive–if it can be that–but as I do understand TweetDeck, I am thinking of returning but just the thought makes me dizzy. Blogging has given me so much in such a short time that I view it in a completely different light, now. There’s so much energy in it, and so many possibilities. If ROW80 had not required a blog, I would have missed one incredible experience.
As I have mentioned on your blog, http://awritersuniverse.com, your writing has really taken off and always, your blog posts intrigue me. Of course, my favorites deal with Natalie Goldberg but the contests you run and your open heart make it a fun place to visit.
Thank you for your words about my writing; they mean a great deal to me. I’ll do my best to live up to them. As always, thanks for stopping by.
Until the next time,
Karen
LikeLike
With every blog you open my eyes with insight and fresh concepts. I love your point that blogs ‘may be forcing us into thoughtful, patient, and magnanimous beings,’ and that as we ‘reach around the world we may finally open our hearts to each other completely.’ You give us all hope that the dangerous part of technology, the ever-heated and growing vitriol fueled by 24 hour news programs, may someday be extinguished by the tempered, everyday blogger and the followers who forward her message.
You count your writing accomplishments by word count and they are impressive, but there should be a way to check off the number of times your words hit the target. You’re shooting 100.
LikeLike
My dear Leigh, such tears of joy you bring. You have played such a large role in my even considering writing, and I never thought I would have a blog, but you introduced me to Kristen Lamb’s book, you patiently waded through my emails and then, with your own fine blog (hint, hint) you gave me the courage to comment on a blog. It’s not an exaggeration to say that always, I think of you and of Adrian, when I draft my blogs, often musing about how you or Adrian would approach a topic. Just know that my gratitude is forever and each time you stop by my blog, I remember and am honored.
Always,
Karen
LikeLike
Well, NOW who’s crying? You’ve a generous and humble heart, Karen, but you were a writer from your first breath and no one but you deserves the credit.
I’m so glad you’ve worked into a schedule. The biggest impediment to writing is that first step of sitting down and staring at the screen until you get going. After that, it’s believing you have something worthwhile to say. You do, and we all appreciate that you share.
LikeLike
Fabulous post, KM. I like the tag line Boomer Being. A group of friends and I have been going back and forth about what to call ourselves, since Baby Boomer doesn’t quite fit anymore. You’ve nailed it with something none of us thought of. I love being a boomer.
Congrats on your writing on a regular schedule and the productivity. More power to you!
LikeLike
I so agree about Baby Boomer not fitting so well and you know how we are…. Thanks for your encouraging words about writing as it has been more difficult than I expected but then, along came blogging and I started to find myself, again. Being really is something.
Nice to see you here, again.
Karen
LikeLike