{GHP} The modern penpal

12 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by Karen B. in Misc, Personal Information

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News sources have been insistent that social media and all of the electronic means of communication are ruining us as a society, that we’re becoming more disconnected and distant. As an optimist, I can’t agree with that view.

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As a blogger I am touched by the encounters I’ve experienced with people from all over the world. Their sincere kindness and their willingness to take time out of their day to read, and yes, sometimes respond with comments (sometimes not) moves me. You and I both know how busy life can be, whether you’re a full time worker, like some of my blog friends (including me), retired, or somewhere in between, LIFE IS BUSY!

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This line of thought came to me when out of the blue I received a message from a woman in another state that was paring down. I can relate. She decided to sell some of her things through consignment, one item was a set of Pierre Deux stone coasters. When she Googled Pierre Deux coasters, my post of the coasters being on my wish list came up. She contacted me and asked if I would like her set. For shipping costs only, I will receive a gift from a stranger.

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This delightful surprise and the chats that I’ve enjoyed with friends I’ve never met from blogging brought to mind the excitement I felt, as a grade-school girl when our 3rd grade teacher put our class in touch with a classroom in Germany. These children became our pen pals. For a few years my pen pal and I would write to each other sharing our school events and happenings. I’m sorry to say I lost touch with her about the time we would have entered middle school, no surprise, I suspect other pursuits began to interest her.

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Have you ever had a pen pal? If you’re a blogger, share with me one of the most memorable, random acts of kindness someone in blog land has bestowed upon you.

Blogging…creative fun

18 Friday Feb 2011

Posted by Karen B. in Entertaining, Gardening

≈ 9 Comments

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Blogging

Relatively new to the world of blogging, I experience self-doubt from time to time (who doesn’t, right?) Especially since the more blog sites I visit the more talented artists/writers/photographers I discover. It has been reported that there are over 2 billion blog sites worldwide. Yikes!

Image via Pottery Barn

My desk area is a little less organized, could this hamper creative writing?

Still, I forge on since I experience a certain satisfaction that comes with an artistic endeavor such as this. I believe there is an artist in all of us, it manifests itself in a variety of ways, but when you are passionate about something, in my case making home as comfortable and attractive as I possibly can, the work towards that end is art (in my humble opinion).

Vicki Archer posted about writing HERE (I loved her description of her own blog as “the accidental writer” and I was so inspired I printed out her post and plan to refer to it when self-doubt creeps in—and believe me, it will creep in from time to time. One sentence that really hit home for me was:

“There can be joy in finding the right word or phrase to describe what you see or how you feel. There is challenge in filling the page and seeing thoughts take shape and come alive. And there is satisfaction, great satisfaction when someone understands and identifies with what you say.” ~Vicki Archer, French Essence.

When I first began to blog I figured it was mostly going to serve as a log of ideas and images for me and for maybe a couple of friends (if they were interested). I’m not a very good sales person so I really didn’t tell too many people about my blog since I felt they might think I was being boastful. But then I had a few comments and my reaction was so much more than I would have expected. I was so excited that someone had read my ramblings and even commented! As a result, I’ve worked all the harder to try to deliver posts that might be of interest to others.