Once in a while someone hears that I have a blog, and asks, “What is your blog about?”
I begin to stutter and blabber. I have no idea how to express what this blog is about. I stammer through an inarticulate answer that manages to be both wordy and insufficient. It’s never less than an awkwardly-phrased paragraph, and I’m invariably red in the face when I’m finished. I’m a lousy salesman, and am pretty sure that nobody on the receiving end of my answer has ever rushed to check out what I say here.
I’m going to a conference this weekend where I may get the question a couple of times. I need help. Could you tell me what this blog is about: Ideally in a concise, somewhat elegant form? I’d be ever, ever grateful.
I’m serious here: I need help. Thank you!!!
Hope one &/or some of these help…… xoxoxo
”The real tests of courage are much quieter.
They are the inner tests,
like remaining faithful when nobody’s looking,
like enduring pain when the room is empty,
like standing alone when you are misunderstood.”
~Swindoll
We are like a deep frozen river
Deep within the river the water still flows
As in us, the river of light is still there
Unthaw the icy river of fear
And let the river of light flow freely
And be all you were meant to be~unknown
“The beautiful in life…
Some talk of it in poetry,
Some grow it from the soil,
Some build it in a steeple,
Some show it through their toil.
Some breathe it into music,
Some mold it into art,
Some shape it into bread loaves,
Some hold it in their hearts.”
~unknown
”To stay with that shakiness—to stay with a broken heart, with a rumbling stomach, with the feeling of hopelessness and wanting to get revenge—that is the path of true awakening. Sticking with that uncertainty, getting the knack of relaxing in the midst of chaos, learning not to panic—this is the spiritual path.” ~Pema Chodrun
“Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”
Carl Gustav Jung
“One does not become enlightened
by imagining figures of light,
but by making the darkness conscious.”
~Carl Jung
“If we can stay awake
when our lives are changing,
secrets will be revealed to us
—secrets about ourselves,
about the nature of life,
and about the eternal source
of happiness and peace
that is always available,
always renewable,
already within us.”
~ELIZABETH LESSER
We do not see things as they are.
We see things as we are.
~ The Talmud
“Just as despair can come to one
only from other human beings,
hope, too, can be given to one
only by other human beings.”
~ Elie Weisel
Do tears not yet spilled,
wait in small lakes?
Or are they invisible rivers,
that run toward sadness?
~Pablo Neruda …..Book of Questions
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack,
a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.
– Leonard Cohen
I am not
what happened to me….
I am what I choose
to become.
-CARL JUNG
If seeds in the black earth
can turn into such beautiful roses,
what might not the heart of man
become in its long journey
toward the stars?
GKChesterton
There are years that ask questions,
and years that answer.
-Zora Neale Hurston
One of the most valuable things we can do to heal one another is listen to each other’s stories.
-Rebecca Falls
“There is no path to truth.
Truth must be discovered,
but there is no formula for its discovery.
What is formulated is not true.
You must set out on the uncharted sea,
and the uncharted sea is yourself.
You must set out to discover yourself,
but not according to any plan or pattern,
for then there is no discovery.”
– J. Krishnamurti
Well, it’s just a little intimidating to follow all the brilliant words Sue sent! Gorgeous, and all apply to your work, Lindsey.
I often send people to your site, so this is what I tell them.
Lindsey writes about life. Not always about the big things, but the smaller ones. The little nuances, the moments that many of us pass over each day. She takes time to explore the feelings that most people can’t or don’t take time to examine on their own. She inspires others to do that, too.
You write, Lindsey, about love and grace and good and bad and the highs and lows of your days. And ours. You make me pause and think and reflect. And you do it beautifully.
And you do I
Your blog, darling, at least to me, is a slow, intentional pause in your daily rigorous and beautiful life, where you exclaim, “Yes, here and here are things I want to see, to remember, to hold in my heart.”
I struggle with the same thing, BTW. But I’d say your blog grapples with existential dilemmas. You are coming to terms daily with the choices you’ve made to lead a simpler, deeper life, the catalyst of which was the birth of your daughter. I’ve always liked the description in your sidebar, “One woman’s journey to right here.”
To take the TV Guide approach:
“A Design So Vast (Drama)
A highly sensitive soul reflects on the wonderful, heart-wrenching, ecstatic, and bittersweet moments involved in motherhood and the passage of time.”
I really like Elizabeth’s second two sentences. To that, I might add:
“It’s the story of the depth of feeling in the dailiness of my life. I use the discipline of writing to help me think more deeply, and to slow myself down to feel the beauty and the pain of life more fully.”
(you should feel, while you are saying all this, but not quite say out loud: “And, it rocks.”)
The stammering is natural for a person who lives most comfortably in the written word…. but practice these sentences, and say them with the confidence with which you hit “post” once you have written a killer piece.
Lindsey’s blog: a personal reflection and commentary of the here and now. Lindsey is a storyteller of the magnficient and minutiae of the daily drama, dilemmas and delights that occur in her pocket of the world. Lindsey’s words sprinkle truth, melancholy and musings of the world she walks in…
oxox
Trish
Living out loud.
It’s about love. You are about love.
I agree with the vote for sidebar!
Also: finding the grace/meaning in every day life.
Oh, you make me laugh because I do the exact same thing when someone asks about my blog. I will chew on this and get back to you. xoxo
Hi Lindsey-
I love your blog and also struggle sometimes with what you describe. So many lovely comments and great ideas above to choose from.
In many ways I feel what you are looking for you have already said and these are ideas in your own words borrowed from your About Me:
“I write mostly about the challenge of truly inhabiting the moments of my life, the joys and difficulties of trying to be a mindful parent.”
“I talk about my effort to find something to believe in and about my groping around the edges of my faith.”
“I write about books I love, and the ways that stories and voices touch me.”
Your blog is one which always leaves me wishing I knew you in person–my guess is people who meet you in person will be eager to explore your writing.
Most important–enjoy the conference–you have so much to offer and no doubt as much to receive.
xo
i have the same problem!!!
I agree with all of the above summaries of your blog!
I would say your blog is about the big things and the little things…all of the big and little moments and lessons and questions and answers and struggles and choices that define and shape your journey to understanding yourself and what it means to live a life well-lived.
By the time I got to this post and read all the comments, I have nothing better to offer. You have great options to pick and choose.
Though all the above comments are true, I agree with Christa’s (#2) the most. That gets my vote!
Your write about faith, love and trust. You write about vulnerability and seek to find meaning through the craft of words. You write about a journey to live a life filled with the raw edges of emotion. And you do it all because it matters.
xo
Your blog offers readers hope, inspiration courage and reflection for those of us trying to embrace our imperfections as we embark on the journey to lead authentic and wholehearted lives.
SORRY Christa!
I didn’t mean to intimidate!
Just got carried away & couldn’t help myself feeling so impressed with Lindsey’s beautiful way of expressing herself!
;O)
I love all of these – will likely use them! Thanks!!!
I have that problem too . . . my blog is not about one thing. For sure I focus on my path as a writer and a mother, but I also like to discuss to friendship and other random things. I guess I essentially end up saying all that. 😉