Labels

I surf ‘the internets’ almost every day, sampling different blogs, seeing who’s saying what and going where.

Glimpses of ordinary lives, generally hidden away, but exposed on blogs for the entire world to see.

But the more I look at them, the more I’m convinced that, even in the blog world, I’m something of an outlier.

Many of the blogs I read seem to be far more focused and consistent in topic than I am– though constantly picturing and discussing how to 'set' your table, decorate your home or repaint furniture would drive me up the wall – and, trust me, that is so NOT the kind of wall décor these gals would go for!!

I confess though, sometimes, after hours of looking, there are times I long for a niche:

a clearly identified ‘hook’ with which to lure ‘followers’.

I write about work, but this isn’t a social work blog.

I write about home and my kids, but this certainly isn’t 'a mommy' blog.

(When your 'kids' are 29 and 35, there's something not only unseemly about that but creepy as well!)

I write about road trips but it’s not a travel blog.

I write about my faith but it’s not a spirituality blog.

You get the drift...

Labels can be good.

They can help narrow an extremely wide array of choices down to a more manageable number of options.

But they can also be counter productive.

Pigeonholes aren't only a way to tidy things up, they can also be open air cages, restricting the chance to spread your wings and fly free – and isn’t that why most of us ended up here in the first place?

I guess I’m a mixed bag – a veritable smorgasbord of possibilities…and while it might not be a label that’s easy to find, follow or figure out… I’m OK with that... despite twinges of occasional blog envy!

They're nice places to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.

Which makes me think I should have added #26 to the list of things I’d tell my younger self – don’t waste time comparing yourself to other people.
Why would you want to ‘fit in’ when God made you to stand out?

There IS, after all, the distinct possibility of getting too specialized a niche!

Note to self: