Well, I had a revelation this last weekend. Blogging is fun but time consuming to boot.
Once I established a rhythm of writing, there came the responsibility to respond to comments and to support the writers who frequented the prompts that I also enjoy.
There are several great ‘prompting’ blogs, and soon I realized there were more than a few daily choices, almost like a Christmas morning overload of surprises. What had started as a delightful pastime, had become a fulltime job.
There was also a lot of thought put into how to respond to posts. That is a skill in itself.
I’ve noticed that the people who addressed me by name, made me feel warm. Also, adding an extra line besides the common ‘well done’ was important. Polishing and learning about blogging courtesy was my new interest. I promised myself to stay genuine and thoughtful in each reply, too.
So, I decided that Sundays are not necessarily for writing at all. Courteous responding and commenting on other people’s blogs would be my focus. Also, many household chores were elevated to the ‘must do’ list so that guilt wouldn’t interfere with any weekly writing pleasures. It worked very well for me! I’m smiling about resolving my problem. Now, let’s hope I can keep that routine. I’m not a person who responds well to scheduling. 🙂
Oh, I had a chance meeting with an old friend on Saturday. He was a neighborhood kid who used to come over to my house with his sister to engage in creative play after school and on weekends. (I didn’t only ‘play’ with kids for a living, I loved it!) He’s 46 years old now and I hadn’t seen him in years! We took a stroll down memory lane about making Christmas ornaments and creating Halloween and Fall Foliage Parade costumes. He still has some of the first dough ornaments we made over 30 years ago!
It was a delightfully fun and uplifting surprise. To reconnect with him, and find out about a difference I had made in his life, is worthy of a BIG smile!
Have a happy week!
I’d like to thank Trent for his wonderful Weekly Smile prompt. It’s one of my favorites.
The Weekly Smile for the 19th of April, 2021 #weeklysmile | Trent’s World (the Blog)
Sillyfrog's Blog 
You certainly can lose all day to blogging, can’t you! I initially got worried because I know I miss a lot of peoples prompt entries each day. I even gave permission for people to ping back to my entry so I could read it. Then I realised nobody does them all it takes too long! So, I go through them once each day and move on. I also like to take weekends off for the sake of my hands.
As the weather improves and my outdoor experiences increase, I’ll be missing things often. Apologies in advance, Mason. Nature is quite important to me. If you have a creation that you think I’d especially enjoy, please leave a link in a message on one of my posts. I’d hate to miss it entirely!
Hello, Susan. I know what you mean. I love being out amid nature too. I’ll be writing from the woods as soon as it’s warmer I think.
Thank you for the offer I appreciate that. Incidentally I just post todays Mason Want’s to Know. If you’re interested.
https://masonsmenagerie.wordpress.com/2021/04/19/mason-wants-to-know-19-04-2021/
How am I doing with this? should I ask a different type of question?
Today’s question was a dandy! You’re doing great!
Thank you, I hoped I’d be a bit more exciting with this one!
Blogging is time consuming! I try to take the occasional break, though usually they come about because I just didn’t have the time… There are always great things about it, which is what keeps me here, but there are times it feels like a chore or another job. So i get trying to figure out what to do with blogging.
Cool that you were able to catch up with your old friend. Creative play is very important. Sounds like you made quite the impression on him. I can tell that was a huge smile! Have a great week 🙂
Thank you, Trent. Counting our blessings is a great way to start the week. 🙂
Yes, ti is 🙂
… But it’s lovely when you start to build a relationship with fellow bloggers. I too struggle with time and sometimes miss the prompts when because I have spent too much time reading. 🤪
It certainly is a lovely experience, Laura!
I enjoyed your smile post and I totally understand the time it takes to read and comment on blog posts. I try my best to keep up, we all understand we have life, family, work, etc that can keep us busy! I so enjoy this blogging community! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and for the smile with a friend! ❤️ ~ Diana
You’re so kind and generous with your comment. Great people for sure!