Validation

Most of us in blogland are guilty of it...we measure our blogging success by the amount of comments we get. Just one visit to a popular blog out there with 89 comments to one post is enough to send a person into "woe is me" land. Some even question if blogging is worth the trouble when no one comments. I myself have felt that way from time to time but decided the last time I felt that way that the blog is just like a conversation and you don't always have a conversation with chatter boxes. Nothing wrong with being a chatter box, I am one at times and quite comfortable in that skin.
Women are always looking for validation, we seem to thrive on it. Always measuring ourselves against another. We don't usually admit to this almost frail aspect of ourselves. I remember being a newly wed and asking Emery if he thought some girl passing by us in the store was prettier than me. Well I sure didn't want him to say yes, and he is a smart man and said "NO WAY", even though she looked like she just came off the pages of Vogue Magazine. Somehow I wanted to hear that he thought I was the best for him. I must have been feeling a bit insecure in my new role as wife. I never ask that kind of question now, well, actually I did ask him at the Botanic Gardens this spring, "am I as fat as that woman ?" Naturally I picked a woman that was about 200 lbs bigger than me, so it was safe to ask and the answer made me feel better, he once again answered, "NO WAY".
Don't measure your success in blogging by the amount of comments you receive, sometimes there really isn't anything to add to a post and then in the big picture, we should just blog to say the things and share the things we want. I know what I want as my focus and have found that its not the same as most folks, which is fine too, I have always marched to a different drum beat.
Blog for the love of what you do or feel. Feedback is nice sure, but sometimes we are just sharing with a quiet group or need to dig deeper inside ourselves and share more of who we are, the kind of conversation you have with a friend.
Like the picture shows, things are not always clear up ahead to the casual observer, but knowing yourself well, knowing where you want to go, knowing where you are yourself, makes all the difference. I can still see the lighthouse across the water, and know which step to take next.
Melanie and I are on the rocky shore of Nubble light in York Maine. To me, the perfect kind of day at the ocean.

Comments

2 LMZ FARMS said…
I use to feel like that. Wonder why I was blogging if noone was going to leave a comment. Then I learned from myself, I blog because I want to. I know I read alot of peoples blogs but don't always leave a comment. There are the blogs of my friends that I do drop a line just to say hello. Hope you and yours have a blessed day.
Laura
Patty said…
Yes, Laura its so much more about saying what is bursting forth inside of us, rather than just getting comments
Dawn said…
I think one spends too much time on blog land if they are concerned about comments...LOL. Sure it's nice when someone notices a new post, but goodness, it's not the end of the world...LOL.
Women got along just fine without the Internet before it was invented.
We can learn alot from blogs. Alot of great tips, recipes, Godly advice. It shouldn't be a popularity contest. :) Us Christian women are here to encourage and inspire one another.

Blessings to you Patty!
Patty said…
Dawn Marie, for lots of folks the computer is the closest they come to having a friend. Our world is not as it once was, we are fragmented, disconnected from family. Not long ago I posted the statistics regarding peoples connections with others now, compared to a couple decades ago. So for many, as strange as it seems to some, the land of Blogging is more than just a place to write and learn, it is a place of friendship. I have written much about the need women have to "grind wheat together", work together on a single project like in the olden days, learning, sharing, working for a common goal. We lack that now in most communities and it is a loss more keenly felt by women who tend to be more in need of that sense of community or extended family. The idea of being validated by comments on the blog is just a sign of the times. Sad but true.
Dawn said…
I agree with you Patty. Actually I have one friend here on base in Germany but we have nothing in common and we rarely see each other, so the computer is where I do form friendships with many like minded people.
Our closest friend should be Jesus... "What a friend we have in Jesus...". I understand about being lonely with no one around...I know all about it as I am expiereancing it right now, every single day of my life. I don't let it bother me though.
It would be nice if women today, especially Christian women, had the desire to visit others for tea, for quilting, for a chat, for baking, but like you said, that's a rarity now a days. So sad...
R. Aastrup said…
What a lovely picture! I almost like it more because it's foggy than if it was a clear day! Nubble is a favorite of our family's, too...
hoshikaori said…
Wow I love your blog=] Very beautiful=] So jealous of your pictures (I WANT YOUR CAMERA!!!)

How are you? I haven't seen you in a long time!
Patty said…
hoshikaori, you need to come see me some time soon and maybe I will let you use my camera for a few minutes : ) Missed seeing you at the Christening
Patty said…
Hey Matt, nice to have you visit, think I will be cooking that big breakfast next weekend, so plan on it, barring the creek don't rise

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