As a beginning or hobby blogger, I can tell you the life of a blogger is nothing short of surreal. The moments of discovery are fleeting and fuzzy as I sit down to write each day.
I (you) show up with each sunrise, ready to capture the fleeting thoughts that kept me (you) up all night.
Ah…you know what I’m talking about, it’s all those perfect lines you’ll share with the world.
As we take time to discover those words, we purge them out onto the page so we can put ourselves out there in the world, hoping to be noticed…by making enough noise to be heard that is.
Opportunity just exists in the air for a few minutes. If you don’t obey your gut feeling right away, you’ve lost your chance. – Ken Hakuta
It’s like being a Blue Jay squawking in the distance somewhere, suddenly popping in to make an appearance – hoping someone happens to notice our blogs.
A Blue Jay is always in pursuit of the real deal. But spends a lot of time as it tries out different spots, moving as quickly as possible. Stealing each moment they can as the bandit of the forest.
He lands on the same old spot, but this time something is different. He’s joyful to find a friend to chat with. It is like when a blog has new comments shared and makes the blogging world look more fun.
A Blue Jay enjoys visiting with others, noticing quickly if someone comes or goes. A blog’s staggering stats or blingy new fresh opportunities to grow are hard to ignore.
It’s hard not to notice when someone is getting ready to leave to pursue something else. The desire for the fast track waiting for us around the corner happens to all of us. We long for a quick fix to grow our stats.
And then our new friends (or maybe it is us) fly off to try something new. And we miss them when they leave.
And we’re back to where we started, alone, and wondering what will happen next.
A blogger’s quest for that something extraordinary is never done. But is that really where we should be looking or what we should be doing? That feels so bizarre to me.
Little minds are interested in the extraordinary; great minds in the commonplace. – Elbert Hubbard
There’s always something to write about right in front of us. It may not be as colorful the first time you look at it. But just wait…
It takes the right light, the right angle, and that ordinary thing you’ve tried to capture before is right for you when you realize just how surreal the simplicity of the world is.
I woke up the other morning with a complete story in my mind – a story I’d never even dreamt of writing, never even thought of before. That can happen to anybody. You have to give yourself material, though. You’ve got to treat the human mind constantly with ideas. The human mind, itself, will make the comparisons, the connections, and the adjustments. – Louis L’Amour
Each changing moment is perfect material for the blogger who dares to be ordinary by capturing their own unique perspective. Take the dare…
Post inspiration – #MyBlogMyWriting Style 30 Day Blogging Challenge (rules here) word prompt – Surreal; The question of the day – “What did the day feel like when you felt surreal about blogging?” and Nancy Merrill’s Photography Challenge – Water
PS – Do you enjoy taking photos in the morning or early evening? Are you a morning or evening writer? When do you feel the most creative? Show me your best bluebird, Blue Jay, (or any kind of bird) photo, or how about a bird bath – share your blog’s link in comments. How about you, what do you find surreal about the world we live in?
Ahhhhh, you got me again Shelly! I’m a morning blogger, with a cup of Java next to me. Yes, I agree, when you get a like, or better a comment . . . Yay! Someone noticed, whoot! But surreal? This week is surreal to me. I went to blog about a heart in my watermelon, just a sweet thought on Tuesday and I realize it’s 911. Hearts in the watermelon just wasn’t appropriate. Although I write about it, I struggle because then the fear of Hurricane Florence . . . both devastating. Devastating in different ways, of course, but for me this week pithy happy shit just seems to fall short. I’m intimidated by my own theme of positivity because of memory and anticipation. Hummm . . . . and the beat goes on, eh?
Here is one of my favorite bird blogs: https://downtoearthpositive.com/2018/06/08/every-morning/
Hi Karen, so great to hear from you. I adore the way you think about everything from many perspectives and always land on the positive one! Yes, the beat goes on, and the birds will keep on singing – your morning routine is beautiful, I wish you many, many, many more and safety from the hurricane, too!
Thank you. For PA it is nothing like down south but we are already so saturated from such a rainy summer that I’m a bit concerned. (looking at my creek, maybe more than concerned). Forecast is iffy. Thanks!
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you and your neighbors!
Those are great blue jay pictures, Shelley. (I think those are actually blue jays, not bluebirds. Pretty in any case.)
Yes, Sue, thank you, you’re right!! I’ve corrected it, I so appreciate you reminding me, you’re awesome!!
I hope you don’t mind that I did! Blue Jays are so pretty. There is a related bird which we see around here called the Steller’s Jay. It is the official bird of British Columbia where I live. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Stellers_Jay/id
Oh, my, no, I’m glad you helped me represent the Blue Jay accurately!! I wish we had the Stellars Jay around here, they are so pretty, I love that color of blue! Thank you for the link, and for enlightening me!
Just now getting to my computer today. Not sure I can post on surreal, we will see. Absolutely love this quote -“Little minds are interested in the extraordinary; great minds in the commonplace.” – Elbert Hubbard. I feel that we should all have little minds because the little things are extraordinary and if we get to the point that things are commonplace then life is boring. Let us always see the extraordinary of creation.
No worries, no pressures, this is your challenge, I support all efforts and thoughts related to it. Glad you enjoyed the quote, I like that one too! Yes, I agree, let’s always see the extraordinary of creation!
Blogging Bluebirds! What a wonderful bit of whimsy in this post – I’m impressed at such perfect focus. It feels surreal to me when I realize my blog is floating amongst 400 million other blogs. A needle in the proverbial cyber haystack! A miracle anybody sees it. I am more of a late day writer – photos anytime. Taking time to follow through on a hunch or gut feeling – for either writing or photos. Now that can be the biggest challenge.
What’s the most surreal in my world? The passage of time. In my head I am SO much younger than who I see in the mirror.
(Otherwise, the most surreal thing is politics)
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! Yes, it is hard to stay focused or to be noticed, but at least you are still writing and enjoying the process. I sometimes look in the mirror and wonder what happened too, then I smile and see a wrinkle I know I earned and I smile even more. We’re lucky to be able to see another day! I’m glad you stopped by to brighten my day!
Loved your bluebirds. Here we tend to get cockatoos, galahs and rosellas who all move in flocks high up in the eucalypts.
Thank you! I’d love to see those birds someday… I need to add that to my empty nest bucket list! Thank you for stopping by to share your thoughts!
I liked the relationship you’ve created between Blue Jays and blogging.
The snaps are amazing, by the way 🙂
Aw, thank you, I’m smiling as I read your words of encouragement!!
I am an evening photographer. The eastern mountains here make the morning golden hour a tricky thing to find. Great post and photos. Thanks for joining the challenge!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Nancy – I appreciate your feedback and it is fun to hear about photography challenges in different parts of the country. I so enjoy the opportunity to join your challenge!
Thanks!
lovely photos nice snap
Thank you!