Time Out

I am going to depart from my usual reverie of home and talk about some general issues concerning the blog.

Upon launching this blog---my first attempt at really understanding what blogging is---I sent out a mass email to family and friends asking for feedback. What I did not realize is that time on the computer reading something for the fun of it is viewed by some as wasted time. The point is well taken in these tense economic times. Frugality is the buzz word, and it does not matter if it is money or time. To that end, I will share useful information on a regular basis---websites, books, and articles related to the subject matter of the blog. Hopefully, that will make the time reading it well spent time.

Another point, which I completely understand, is the lack of understanding when it comes to cyberspace. I grew up in the age of the electric typewriter. My major introduction to using a computer to do research and write papers was in graduate school. We were told that our comprehensive exam before graduation would be administered on the computer. I, the pencil and paper queen, was filled with fear and dread. One of my professors found this a bit amusing. She believed that since we would be using the computer extensively for classes, we would all be well versed by this time. That is when I had to step out of my comfort zone. I was still doing research exclusively in the library and wrote all papers in long-hand, going back later to type the information up in one sitting. Wow! She could not believe I would put myself through such extensive work, and I could not see the value of doing it on the computer (which I did not know how to use) when my methods gave the same results. I was stuck in my ways much like the character in, "You've Got Mail," who loved the hum of his electric typewriter and believed technology was invading our lives for the worse.

I look upon those days with a smile. If my house were burning down, the first thing I would grab is my laptop. By the last half of graduate school I had completely abandoned long-hand and wondered how I could have ever lived without a computer. Of course, balance is needed in all things. I've rediscovered the joy of putting pen to paper and use them when journaling. There is something about it no machine can replace, but I continue to stay abreast of what is current because it is how the world relates to us now.

Keep the feedback coming. I will soon launch another blog for nurses in the home healthcare field. There will be lots of information and guidance for those nurses. By October, I hope to launch a coaching website devoted to women in transition. If you are a woman, there will be a newsletter every month filled with info relating to grief and loss as a result of life's transitions. Hopefully, it will help you to navigate life's ever changing landscape wth strength and grace.

Next week I will return with more home life reverie. See you there.