Genuine

What I’ve Been Thinking About

I can’t help but be completely amazed by this blogging world. I’ve been inspired, uplifted, challenged, humored, empowered, and engaged the past month and a half. When I decided to start my own blog I wanted to contribute to the blogosphere as my “authentic self”. I didn’t want to pretend to be someone I’m not or try to be someone I perceived others would want me to be.

After going back and reading my archives I realized that I haven’t really done that. Sure, I’ve been honest in all my posts and I’ve had a LOT of fun. However, I feel that I have only shown you the best part of myself. Maybe that’s the point of blogging. Maybe I should view it as my personal grateful journal that I expose to the world. If that’s the point, then skip this post all together. But for some crazy reason, I feel the need to express to you why I adopted the motto “Create your own Experience”.

I’ve been trying to convince one of my friends to start blogging. Mainly because she’s going through a major life-changing event and I have no idea how to help her or relate to her particular problem. I think that there are many of you out there that would. As I was showing her where to go and how it works, she kept asking me questions. Her main concern is that she feels like she is in a place in her life where she can’t read about how great other people’s lives are. She wants to read how people are overcoming their obstacles and not that their life is perfect. I assured her that the blogging world is vast and you’ll be drawn to threads of people that have the same interests as you do. With that concept in mind I posted about Davis’ autism and a little about our struggle in that area.

Since school ended and we’ve had continuous rain, I have struggled myself with finding day to day joy. One of my friends recently posted how she has stopped posting on her blog because she titled her blog “Happiness” and she hasn’t felt very happy lately. Therefore, she felt that she had nothing to post. That’s the exact reason I titled my blog “Create your own Experience”. I’m not happy all the time and I’ve really had to work on it this summer. However, I am constantly trying to take the initiative and create happy moments and create balance in my life. It’s still a work in progress. ;-}

During the summers here in Texas, my friends who have family in Utah or Idaho make the great exodus there, searching for cooler climate and happy reunions with family. That leaves the rest of us stranded and out of our play dates and girls night routines. I’ve been a little lonely this summer. To make matters worse, I’ve been following some blogging families and love how tight their relationships are and how they vacation together and support each other. Even though I was raised in a strong christian faith and my parents where very strict regarding family and moral values, I didn’t end up with the family support that I had always imagined I would. My parents divorced 2 years ago. I don’t have the support system that I want for my family. I’m so glad that there are other families out there that do and applaud the effort it takes to maintain those relations. It just makes me a little sad for my own family.

For some reason I didn’t realize it until I already had 2 kids that I was in charge of my life and could direct it however I wanted it to. I guess I’m a slow learner. I was so busy putting out fires all over the place and being on the defensive that I didn’t realize there was an offence! Thankfully, I figured it out (yes I mean a LOT of self-help books later) and I changed my life completely. I started planning, organizing, and streamlining my life.

We’ve overcome so many obstacles and we’ve finally gotten off the roller coaster ride we were on. But life isn’t always sunny skies on the lake. My wish for people reading my blog is that you’ll draw strength from it, maybe find some fun ideas, and be inspired to make your life a little easier. I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I would feel awful if someone out there is going through a very difficult period in their life and read my blog thinking I was happy all the time.

What has surprised me the most about this incredible blogging world is how welcoming and accepting you are of each other. I also wanted to take a moment to thank you for all your kind words and encouragement. Thank you for letting me take a peek into your lives and thank you for helping my overcast summer be a lot brighter!

Your Blogging Friend, Laurie.

17 thoughts on “What I’ve Been Thinking About

  1. I loved this post, Laurie! I agree with you about trying to keep authentic in how we come across on our blogs, rather than only posting the joyous moments of our lives. We need to be able to relate to others and know we are not alone, especially on the HARD days, the days of discouragement, the dyas we are not feeling like we are enough! I’m so sorry summer has been hard on you…it is truly an every day effort for me. I don’t know, some days are easy breezy, relaxed and bliss. And sometimes I consider taking up drinking (haha)! Thanks for keeping it real! For that reason, you are “perfect” in my eyes!!!

  2. Wow- don’t even know what to say…but you just inspired me to post something on my blog…and you can send your friend (whomever she may be) to my blog to let her know that it’s not always happy in my adventures…this post has challenged me to look deeper at what I put out there for the world to see. Thanks Laurie- you are amazing- glad this blogosphere brought me to a friend like you!

  3. Your post today is just what I needed to hear and feel! I have had many days of feeling alone this summer-
    With the move from the “big city” to the “small town” away from VERY CLOSE friends (the flamingos)I have had to work hard sometimes at smiling during the day.
    While “my boys” bring me joy and my husband is wonderful it doesn’t always make the days less sad.
    Blogging and my blog has been the way to find humor in my life and stay connected with those who are too far away. It is funny, but Blogging kind of gives me an escape from the day to day into a fun world of “girls just want to have fun”. I need the silly chatter and new perspective on life sometimes.
    I think for your friend, it would be nice for her just to “put it out there” and then one day look at the person she has become.
    There is something calming about just typing about your day, feelings, or challenges.
    Laurie, I have enjoyed getting to know you! Keep the chatter coming!Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

  4. Great post! I try hard to not have negative posts–but realize that isn’t always the case. I struggle with life–it’s hard at times and I need someone to complain to and listen to me–blogging has been that. It’s wonderful and I KNOW you can learn and grow so much from other peoples experiences–thanks for sharing “you”

  5. What a fantastic post….a great reminder that we are each in charge of our own destiny and our own lives. My parents divorced 13 years ago and it really shook my little molly mormon world.

  6. Sorry to abandon you, girly. We hit the road in the morning and we’ll have to hook up next week when I’m back. I sure hope the rain has STOPPED!!!

  7. Laurie, you are such a great person! I love “real” people. I mean that in a very positive way. I have always told my husband…we have to have hard days, times, etc., to realize what “good” is. I too, seemed to learn later. My family growing up was not ideal, to say the least. My parents are also divorced. I took myself to church, when I got my drivers liscense. I s-l-o-w-l-y realized, my life was going to be what I put into it. I then realized I needed to fill my life with as much positive as possible. There is so many every day obstacles. I LOVE looking at your blog, and site. You are truely an inspiring friend!

  8. Being on vacation I haven’t posted much on my blog and I look forward to being home and posting about more normal stuff. I think your blog is way fun and very real. I can’t wait to get back to hanging out with all of the girls. 🙂 We leave Tuesday!

  9. Thank you for commenting on my blog. Your post today really hit home for me. Just after I started my blog my husband was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and I have had my share of bad days. In the beginning it was hard to post (and so I didnt)because I was feeling down and I didnt want to seem like a complainer or the “Debbie Downer” but I guess I should have. Thankfully life is getting better but when I come across one of those days and I dont feel like writing, I will anyway.

  10. Hi. I’m in one of those families you were talking about. You should know that it isn’t really like that all of the time or even most of the time. Sure we love each other, but the more people you have in a family the more opportunities for discord there are. You are lucky. You get to create your own family and make it as sweet and loving and happy as you can. One time I lost a friend because she couldn’t stand the thought of my family while hers was falling apart. If she’d only asked, she would have known that everyone struggles.

  11. That was a really good post. I always feel obligated to post happy things on my blog because I feel like people expect that out of me and I think it helps other people feel good too. I’m afraid if I post something depressing or anything along those lines people wouldn’t want to read something like that. I really appreciate this post. I hope it’s ok if I make a reference to it sometime. You are a great blogger and win a gold star from me! 🙂

  12. great post Laurie.. I love when people are real.. that is what drew me into blogging.. I love real feelings.. thanks for sharing your life.. no one’s life is perfect.. no matter how they may want to portray it.. life just isn’t that way.. everyone has struggles! I also love the encouragement and advice I get.. and have really changed my way of thinking on some things just because of blogging…hope the rain stops soon.. and hope your friends return quicker! I am glad you have had blogging to distract you a bit! take care have a great sunday!

  13. This was such a great post. I think that is what is so great about blogging and our freedom. We are free to write or talk about what we want. Life is real for all of us, so I think we should all feel ok about writing about our bad days, maybe someone will turn it around for us! I too come from divorced parents twice over, so I have been there and done that. I always just take one day at a time. Thanks for your great post.

  14. Hang in there girl! I loved the post and am so glad that we have got to “know” each other! Keep blogging and thanks for sharing your world with us.

  15. Thanks for posting about your reality. 🙂 It can get kinda easy to forget about the realness that we face in our lives, and to use blogging as a way of escaping that! I believe that it’s not until we a re truly authentic in every part of our lives that we will find contentment in it. Life is hard, but we need to not make it any harder!

  16. Laurie, I struggle with this too. Wondering if I should make my blog fun and light-hearted or talk about all the real struggles of life. I’m never sure what to do because I have learned and been helped by other blogs I’ve read that have been really open. This last year I’ve had a few hard trials and I decided to not share them with the world so I’ve kept my blog more lighthearted. But when I think that maybe what I’ve learned could help someone, then I feel like I should share! Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I’ve had the same wonderings/questions and haven’t decided yet what to do. I enjoy your blogs though so keep them coming!

  17. Wow. I loved this post. I agree with everything you said. I started my blog just this month because I wanted to keep a better record of my life, good and bad. But then I see how many people are reading it, and I hesitate. But last week I decided that I would write the good and the bad because this is my life and I want to remember ALL of it.

    Thanks for the reminder!

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