Mark informed me that I've been guilty of writing cheese sandwich posts lately.
Mark is always the first to accuse me of writing generic blog posts that say very little about the actual state of my life although, even before the blog I had other close friends who were frustrated by my generic emails home ...
One of the things I love about writing is that no matter what insanities or challenges are going on, I can create some kind of order when I write.
So I told Mark the story of 'lately in Di's life' and barely scratched the surface ...
My life seems to be one of those lives that are destined to wander down unpredicted roads on a weekly, if not daily basis. Maybe Belgian television will phone me to ask if I might take part in their small documentary about foreigners living in blended language families as I arrive at a party in Holland, or perhaps my student loan will turn into one of the biggest disasters of my life or I'll find myself photographing New Zealand's prime minister while she chats with one of NZ's famous singers or I'll be offered the opportunity to pop over to London and take photographs for a really exciting new book or I will spend a couple of hours photographing a truly beautiful Belgian woman days before she begins the last possible treatment left in her battle with cancer.
And it was the same back in Turkey. There was the woman who fell past my 5th floor balcony, and the wheel that fell off the taxi, the taxi driver who invited me to travel to Iran with him, and the gunman who took hostages in the school I was teaching at - the school that sent us out to our classes, without actually reassuring us that the gunman and his hostages were contained while hysterical parents and television crews gathered below at the gates.
And that's how it is ... when life gets a little bit challenging, I prefer to select and order the chaos. I'm not sure what this blog would be like if I just wrote life as it really is, not sure at all.
Cheesepost sandwiches ... I need to think about that.
Any opinons?
12 comments:
Dear Di,
I love the variety and unpredictability of your posts. This is exactly what makes me keep reading your blog. Anyway, what's wrong with a cheese sandwich now and again?
Warm wishes,
Carolien
Thanks Carolien, and as always, it's lovely to find you here :)
Next time you write a literal cheese sandwich post, you could link it to this: http://www.hillbillyplease.com/blog/?p=2220.
I'm sure we'll be doing it again this year.
If feel most of your posts are very personal Di: you show significant parts of your daily life, often in a refreshing and inspiring variety.
So "writing generic blog posts that say very little about the actual state of your life" is a label that doesn't fit you at all.
A very useful link, Simon :)
Thanks Peter. There's a lot I don't blog and then other times, the more that is going on, the less I reveal which was what Mark had picked up on this time.
And you'll get the pleasure of meeting Mark when he finally gets here, Peter :)
Your school in Turkey was in a stand-off and I didn't know this? Guess Mark is right, you don't tell everything.
Things are moving very fast for you now, so you have little time to reflect on matters which are happening around you. It's logical that your blog posts are a little more cheese sandwich like now. When things calm down again, you'll surprise us with your blessed introspection of Di's mind we've all come to enjoy.
Have a great bunch of experiences, Di!
You're a wise old thing, aren't you Manic :) I don't have time to just mull things over like I did and I guess that's a large part of it.
The stand-off? We were just unlucky - I think he was a robber who ran into the school but was seen. He took two teachers hostage and met with an unfortunate end when the police arrived.
I had the unenviable job of going into my class of 6th graders who had just been told by the school psychologist about the gunman. Can you imagine taking over a class of students that age and with varying levels of English, all in a panic because of what they'd just been told what was going on.
It was memorable ...
Hmmmmmmm cheesy.......
KIDDING!!!
At first I thought my blog would be a mixture, and it is, to some extent, but then I found it to be an extension of my emotions, a place where I could pour out the most personal and intimate parts of me, like paint on to a canvas and let the drips and splatters land where they may. Sometimes it's hard, and I know I've lost readers because of the depths of despair and moments of chaos my life often holds, so many want upbeat, happy things when they choose to read, but it's my sanity, my escape and yes, even I offer up a cheese sandwich or two from time to time because life is just like that...peaks and valleys...and in the end, it is what it is for however long it will be.
Your blog I love because of the variety and the honesty you offer your readers. Not everyone has to wear their heart on their sleeve or spill all their heart's secrets. Sometimes your pictures do that even more than your words.
Besides, I rather like cheese.
Mark ... hi :)
Thanks Claudia, much appreciated.
I love your blog and find out so much from my dear friend.. I remember well the situation in Istanbul... I think I had either just been there or was just arriving.
I also find it fantastic that my friend is written up on a blog from my home town in America and Di discovered it was my town from pictures I had sent her!! A small town and a small world indeed!!
It is, and lovely to find your comment here ML. Thank you.
Post a Comment