I’m rather new to blogging and find it interesting to note both my enthusiasm and trepidation about posting. I don’t have a lot of followers (so essentially I am writing to myself most of the time I think) and often wonder if it matters. In my personal and professional life I like to ‘pride’ myself on openness and measure of sensitivity to others – kind of important qualities as a counsellor. It possibly never occurred that people might want to engage with my ideas when I first started writing – why on earth did I put my writing online? Well I thought if it resonated with people they could take what was useful and interesting and leave the rest. It never really thought ‘the rest’ might be the bits that held the opportunity for me to explore my own assumptions! One of the limits of blogging is the written word and the subtle ways meaning can shift based on the tone crafted by the writing but also the position of the reader – that is ‘who they are as a person’ located in the intricate matrix of life. So recently when a few people…ok 2…started responding to my posts I was suddenly aware there were ‘others’ out there.

I’d left my door open but didn’t really expect anyone to take up the invitation to come in and perhaps that awareness of my own vulnerability was the biggest and most important learning I’ve done in a long time. It also drew me outside to explore the rich world of writing available via blogs. Wow! what an incredible place ‘you’ have all created – this is like the Matrix exploded rather than reloaded! Becoming aware of your place in the Blogtrix is kind of interesting. There are markers that suggest who is ‘worth’ following and I can see there is just as much popularity and potential for isolation here as in the ‘real world’. I like the idea of people enjoying what I read but I’ve also noted a curious form of supplication that some followers show in their comments from time to time. It got me thinking about the seductive idea of being ‘popular’ of having ideas worth spreading and how quickly a response can either open up or shut down understanding.

Perhaps the mirror can’t reflect itself – but I am more aware of how my ideas reflect if they come back to me. But for anyone wondering about the culture of blogging I would say be wary of the ‘house of mirrors’ be ready for unusual, ugly and distorted – it could come back in a way that is unexpected and that is the glory of it – to see yourself as others see you through your ideas. Because regardless of the intent – the original image or idea put out, once that light passes into text – it might be magnified in parts, refracted in others, reflected elsewhere but it is no longer yours.

Thank you to those who have read ANY of my posts, I hope some of the lenses I pass ideas through provide some unique focus you might not have considered or simply confirmed your own understandings.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, glad I don’t have you on the ceiling or floor.