Category: Sideshows

Rory has asked us 4 new questions. Let’s see where they take us.

Have you learned anything new about your personality that you didn’t know beforehand whilst on your blogging journey?

I’m quite familiar with my personality. I’ve had it all my life.
What I have learned from blogging is a better, more artful, way to communicate.

Some examples are:

Don’t use exclamation points unless you’re expressing excitement. Even then, keep the volume down. Exclamation points, when discussing emotionally charged topics make the reader feel as though you’re ‘hollering’ at them. At the very least, exclamation point use suggests you’re ‘losing your cool’.

When discussing any topic, it is wise to offer ‘What YOU think’ or ‘What YOU feel’ or ‘What YOU have noticed’ rather than suggest you have any idea why others have taken a ‘position’. We’re not mind readers, and no one (including myself) wants to be told what we’re thinking from someone who couldn’t possibly know.

Visiting my ‘inner child’ before I write makes for a more ‘unassuming’ write. Being genuine is a good place to start from in all things.

What are your last thoughts of the night before you turn your lights off, ready to sleep?

I offer a prayer of gratitude and ask for safety and comfort for my loved ones.

What is the most ridiculous thing you have ever heard anyone say, write, or blog about?

It probably wasn’t ‘what someone said’ that seemed ridiculous but, as I mentioned above, the reasons some people use for saying things can be entertaining. It usually comes down to that ‘mind reading’ technique. Those who suggest that certain people do things because ‘the writer’ knows what they think. News Flash: Try asking them. LOL
(Of course, in fiction and poetry, the writer DOES know what the subjects think because he created them.)

Sometimes the ridiculous comes down to those people who keep ‘drawing conclusions’ rather than examining a topic. For example: “People from the South are undereducated” or “All women like jewelry.” etc.

What can you do today that you were not capable of a year ago?

“Not capable of” suggests a new skill rather than a new opportunity, to me. I am probably better at ‘listening to’ and ‘talking with’ others with whom I disagree. I truly want to keep them talking, as opposed to shutting them down or ‘educating them‘ (I loathe that last mentioned approach. 🙂 )
It’s not at all my job to correct anyone. My job is to curiously examine their words and thoughts in order to change or reinforce my own views. If I shut them down, I cannot learn and grow from the exchange.


https://earthlycomforts.uk/2023/02/05/a-wild-aloha-to-you-12/