My oh my, what a month! I took the time I needed to get several pressing things squared away. It feels good to have these things checked off my very long to-do list.
I'll be honest with you -- I had hoped to return to blogging with several really clever posts in queue . . .
But that just didn't happen.
Last night I realized -- with a little panic -- that I haven't written anything at all this month. (Well, except for a few Twitter and Facebook status updates, but they don't really count as writing.) I tossed and turned in bed until I remembered something my blog friend Jillian (who now goes by Mabel) used to say:
"My blog: my rules."Simple as that. So I'm going to do what I need to do so that I don't have to give up blogging and studying the classics during this busy season of my life. Right now that means I need to write in more of a "dear diary" fashion. Why am I cringing as I type this? I feel like I'm apologizing!
Quick update: I finished Gulliver's Travels. I found it a bit odd, but I wasn't bored. I'm hoping to decode some of the satire soon. I expect to say, "Oh! Now I get it!" or something like that. We'll see.
I'm planning to start reading Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens on Monday May 13th. If you'd like to read along, please join me for the Oliver Twist synchro-read on Facebook!
What have you been up to this past month? Anything you want to bring me up to speed on?
Welcome back, Adrianna!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ruth! Hugs! :)
DeleteSo nice to see this post! I totally agree with "My blog: my rules." As I frequently (ad nauseam) say, Mother Teresa was supposed to have said "Pray as you can, not as you can't." I apply that to writing and blogging too -- so whatever you have to say, bring it on!
ReplyDeleteFinished Anna Karenina. WHEW! That was fascinating. My heart broke for Anna, how sad and angry and unhinged she is at the end. Society lets Vronsky live with freedom and respect; she gets treated like crap. BUT she can't really receive the love and kindness she does get either. So it's not just society's fault; she has responsibility too. But I did feel very sorry for her at what seemed like the waste of a beautiful person. But I would rather have the workaday life of Kitty and Levin (moving through death and birth and conflict and doubt, learning to grow and love together) rather than the stormy passion of Anna and Vronsky. Awesome book, really, though many parts (the political stuff) I did find stupefyingly boring -- I blame that more on me than the book.
YOU FINISHED ANNA KARENINA!!!! I thought you just started reading it a few days ago! My head is spinning. Let me sit down . . .
DeleteLove your thoughts. I'm with you -- part Anna's fault, part society's fault -- yes. Waste of a beautiful person -- yes, yes. I would chose the Kitty & Levin life too. (I suppose I HAVE, now that I think about it!In some ways I can see the character of Levin in my husband.) So much depth in AK. Do you see why I'm a bit gushy over Tolstoy now? Oh and did you notice how Vronsky's hair became thinner and his teeth were rotten by the end? I haven't seen the movie but I doubt they depicted him that way on the big screen. ;-)
Oh and love-love-love that Mother Teresa quote!
Funny about the speed-reading! :-) I got the book from the library about 2.5 weeks ago and was going at a leisurely pace. Then I got a notice that someone had a hold on it so I read with great speed for the next few days hoping to finish it and then return it. Then the hold was removed so I was able to slow down again. Not an ideal way to read a classic, I know. :-( But I read it every evening before bed and really got into it. I admit I did kinda skim those dull political bits so I cheated a little there.
DeleteTolstoy understood life. The parts about standing at his brother's deathbed, at his wife's birthing bed, all that is so real, so true, so poignant. My copy's intro says he wrote Levin as himself, so (to me) that's why those parts are so wonderful: he wasn't afraid to reveal his own weaknesses and doubts and fears, so they jump off the page as SO REAL. Well, this could become a very long thread of AK comments so I'll stop here; my Monday morsel will probably be a nice juicy quote from AK though.
I can't wait to find out which quote you pick for your Monday Morsel! I'm sure it won't be easy to choose! :)
DeleteYou are a very considerate library patron (patroness?)I like people like you.
Yay, you're back!
ReplyDeleteAnd on that my blog my rules thing, just this week I had a new commenter come by. The first paragraph of the comment was fine, but the second half was a personal attack on a well-known pastor of a mega-church. I deleted the second paragraph.
Cheers,
Tim
Thanks, Tim! It's great to be back!
DeleteSo glad you keep your comments clean and libel-free. Just one reason I like to hang out at your blog! :)
Welcome back :D That fluffy little bird, oh my goodness!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jennifer! :)
DeleteReally good to see you back. Definitely -- don't apologize for journaling! That's why you're here. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for that, Mabel. And you are right -- that IS why I'm here.
DeleteMost of the blogs I read nowadays publish posts that are more like articles than journal entries. Sometimes I find myself fretting because I don't have enough quiet time for the process of thorough planning and revising. But I usually DO have enough time to write a simple journal entry! So I'm giving myself permission to take some pressure off. :)
Adrianna
ReplyDeleteI just issued a similar apology for neglecting my blog for 57 days. Fifty. Seven.
so I understand.
Have you read "Booked" by Karen Swallow Prior? It's a memoir about how literature impacted her life. She talks about a number of classics, including Gulliver's Travels. Her explanation of that book helped me understand it in a new way (well, and maybe I should re-read it since I read it back in maybe 8th grade and I now have a child in college). Anyway, welcome back to blogging.
Thank you Keri. :) And welcome back to you too!
DeleteYes, I have read BOOKED. Highly recommend! KSP's insights were very helpful. As a matter of fact, I think I'll read the Gulliver's Travels chapter again now that I've finished GT.
Welcome back, luv! So glad you had such a great and profitable time away. :-) Doesn't it feel SO good to get projects done? Yes, it IS your blog so you do whatever feels right for you. Those of us who love you will love whatever you decide to share. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, dear Krista. :) I was inspired by your post this morning. Checking off my to-do list is not so important as living fully in each moment. That reminder was just the thing I needed today! ♥
Delete(Unfortunately I can't ditch my to-do list, but I CAN try to approach it differently!)
Welcome back! :) I love those bird pictures! Especially one at the beginning.
ReplyDeleteHappy mother's day to you <3
Aww . . . Thank you SO much! :D
DeleteTo-do lists do change the way we approach things, don't they? It's wonderful to find a way to incorporate the "loves" of our lives and the "musts" of our lives. The journal approach works well for you. We get to hear your voice and see YOU better. That's the best part of blogging and reading blogs, seeing through the eyes of another. :)
ReplyDelete