Freshly Pressed but Hardly Perfect

My husband was Freshly Pressed!  I have a special place in my heart for people who recognize the brilliance of my husband, so to the WordPress crew– thank you.

To everyone else, go over and read his article.  It’s not just about brown skin or comic books.  It’s not an angry call to arms. It’s just the straight-out truth that the world is changing and we need to integrate our colorful world into the pages of our books and imaginations.

Now.

Just because he’s brilliant and was Freshly Pressed does not mean Dave is perfect.

His Freshly Pressed article happens to be about a topic on which we see completely eye-to-eye.  There are times, though, when he disagrees with me… which obviously means that there are times when he is horribly wrong.

Here are two topics that we’ve been debating for the last month, and the reasons he’s on the wrong side of it all.

Blogger Awards

Dave thinks : Bloggers Awards are sweet– but too much work for the benefit and a little too spammy.  He thinks if someone has something nice to say, they should just say it.  He thinks that the rules are silly and cumbersome.

Wrong!

Well, except about the rules part.  With the exception of the blog-award-that-shall-not-be-named, though, the rules don’t matter.  If they bother you, just change them– I do, and I’ve yet to be struck by lightning.

Here are the top 3 reasons that Blog Awards are worth your time:

1. They are a kindness.
2. They offer a revealing peak into you.
3. They generate quality followers and improve web presence.

1.  They are a kindness.
Someone likes your blog, and likes you! They have taken time out of their normal schedule and directed their followers to you, usually preceded by kind words.  It’s not an easy process.  The idea that you only accept kindness is certain forms is, I’m sorry– but downright silly.

“Thank you for your Christmas present, but I am currently not accepting gift cards because they lack appropriate sentiment.”

Only in this case, you aren’t even sending that thank you note, you’re just throwing the gift out.

No, it’s not an easy process– but the return of a kindness, and passing on of a kindness, rarely is.  And yet, it’s always worth it.

2. They offer a revealing peak into you.

Everyone complains about the list aspect of awards, but the beautiful thing about the internet is the ability to form fast and strong connections with people.  Those connections are most often sealed with tidbits– tidbits of personal information that you rarely have the opportunity to share without sounding spastic.

I don’t like apples!

If you’re reading this, then you follow me.  Which means, I follow you.  Which means it’s very likely that I’ve read every post on your blog.  I can tell you that I feel closer to those who accept blogger awards because you can learn so much about a person from the grace in which someone receives and passes on praise, and the information they decide to share when provided with a blank list to fill out.

The list of blogs you nominate also gives your readers a glimpse into who you are.  It’s like a blogroll, except one that is actually updated.

3. If the mushy-gushy top two didn’t sway you, try this one on for size.  Blog awards are the fastest, most effective way to generate big page views, quality followers, and a web presence.

If you’ve wandered around my blog at all, you’ll notice several regulars.  Many of those found me through an award I gave or received.  There’s nothing more powerful than a shared interest or a referral.

In numbers, the days I accept multiple awards generate more page views and more quality followers than the days I was on the Freshly Pressed board.

By “Quality Followers”, I mean people who have a genuine interest in contributing to your blog.

Resolutions and Bucket Lists

Dave thinks: Bucket lists are depressing because they focus on your death. They encourage procrastination, and they put a limit on your possible future experiences.  He thinks they are often just culminations of other people’s desires for you that you feel pressured to pursue.  He thinks they are about things that don’t matter.

Wrong!

Because the flaws he listed have nothing to do with the concept of a bucket list, but the list-making and the list-maker.

“There is man in his entirety, blaming his shoe when his foot is guilty.”
― Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot

Any of those points is the equivalent of saying, “I just don’t do grocery lists.  Every time I make one, there’s nothing but weird food I don’t want to eat on it… and candy.  Plus, it directs me to stores I don’t live anywhere near.  And they’re always titled, ‘Food that Could Kill Me’. It’s baffling!”

Solution: make a better list!

Lists can go on forever.  You aren’t restricted to the items on your list.  Your resolutions can be things you want to do, things you don’t want to do, things you want to see or buy, or anything.

The wonder of a list is in the beauty and purpose of having a vision.

When you make a Bucket List or a Resolution, you are building a road map to the rest of your life or year.

You don’t have to stick to that map, but it might just make you re-evaluate the tapestry of your life.  Each woven strand adds to your picture.  What strands do you want to see, and which do you want to remove? Is your life picture looking the way you want it to?

It gives you get a bird’s eye view of your goals, an entirely new perspective– it’s amazing to see how many of your minor goals are actually all the same ultimate goal.

In other words, don’t blame the list.

The list is a purpose and a vision, and we could all do with a little more of that.

But really,

even when he disagrees with me, Dave is still pretty great, so go check out his blog.  There he goes by his artist name, Grayson Queen.  I’d suggest these posts:

• http://graysonqueen.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/to-my-mother/
• http://graysonqueen.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/boxing/
• http://graysonqueen.wordpress.com/2012/12/26/anniversary/

Do any of your loved ones blog?

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