I’m not going to say Merlin Mann’s recent post put me in my place, but it did give me pause.
“Given the din of enthusiastic bloggers who have switched from being experts on cheese sandwiches and kitty cats to full-on public policy wonks, you’d have to infer that there’s a whole lot of ravenous web surfers changing sides one way or another and back everyday. You know, from the persuasive arguments, and the links, and all. But I don’t think it’s happening. No, far from it.”
I have strong feelings and opinions on this subject, but I think my general stance is obvious by now…and not likely to change any minds. So I’ll leave the more poetic posting to the likes of Anne Lammott and others.
“But when we pay attention, we can see just as much messy mercy and hilarious grace as ever: Yesterday at Sam’s tiny school, the kindergarteners and first graders were out on the field when military planes flew overhead. They were so afraid, but when Peggy, their teacher, told them they were safe, that the planes were headed for the Middle East, the children relaxed. They watched. Then one smart child began to wonder if there might be children in the Middle East, too, and that these pilots just didn’t know that. The children began to fret and Peggy could not lie and tell them there weren’t children in the country where the army planes were headed. So they found a giant sheet of paper, and colored it with a peace dove bigger than any of them, and they got the older kids to come help, and they all signed their names, so Army planes flying overhead could see it: The kids kept telling Peggy that the pilots just must not have known. And now they would not go to the country where they might accidentally bomb children. So even amid the smashing and crashing and terrible silences, the trees are all in blossom, and it’s soft and warm and bright. Spring is pushing through.”
I’ll still give the occasional heads up regarding regional and/or online events that seem relevant to readers. But maybe I’ll stick to my path…to documenting the distractions that I am more of an expert on. Like books, Buffy, music, movies, and my little man. Shown below, smiling…and singing in a lack of rain.
