My Mother Said Not to Brag

Young ladies were not supposed to brag or be obnoxious about their accomplishments so I find it difficult to promote my blog and writings on the net.  On the net you have to promote and brag and sometimes even be obnoxious about it to get readers.  What has changed?

Maybe it is the trend of the socially accepted norm that has shifted.  Women are real people in this day and time--no longer satisfied to be over-shadowed by husbands or remain quietly at home doing laundry.  I always thought that was somewhat overstated.  Women were never that deferring to husband and fathers.  It was mostly the husbands and fathers that thought so.

Women have made dramatic and imposing contributions to our society and knowledge base.  Even during times when women were supposed to be laboring over the wash tub, their accomplishments shone through.  The fact is when the product is of good quality consumers or readers or buyers don't care where it came from.  If a woman wrote it or created it, that's O.K. All the public wants is the product.  But in the world of writers we want the credit.  It is highly reinforcing to have your stuff read and commented on.  It also tends to give you a swelled head.  I guess that's what my mother found unattractive, and I agree with her.

So where is the cut off?  If you enjoy it writing, do it.  If people tell you it's good, thank them.  It they identify with what you write, you get to share their experience.  If you think you are the only one who can write, you have become obnoxious. 

Related articlesHumblebrag, Bragging That Masks The Brag In a Faux-Humble Guise (laughingsquid.com)

A Poem for Easter

DREAD

John 18 and 21

By Gayle Haynes

Charcoal on the embers made a warming fire;

Bitter smoke swirled up and burned my nose.

"You were with Him," a servant said three times.

"He had friends and you were one of those."

What threat could my love of Him now pose?

"Not I," I said, and stepped back in the dark.

I could not speak or witness of his power.

Danger was everywhere; when the soldiers came,

I took a sword to defend him in that hour.

What recompense to pay if now I cower?

Suddenly the cock crowed twice and my heart froze.

His words came back with bitter taste and tears.

"You will deny me, I who washed your feet."

He knew my weakness; the knowledge burns and sears.

What judgment waits for me in future years?

…..

Again, beside a charcoal fire, agony was ripe.

“Do you love me more than these?” he said.

Now my fear was of a different type,

For He asked me to follow where he led.

How could His amazing love swallow all my dread?

My Mother Said to Say Thanks

My mother always told me to be polite and tell people, "Thank you."  Sometimes "thank you" is not adequate or appropriate.  Sometimes I am thankful for things I didn't ask for and feel surpremely blessed by random events.

Gratitude

By Gayle Haynes

The crippled girl in her power chair

Joined the rushing, busy crowd.

I watched the people in the square.

The sound of sirens and horns was loud.

She joined the shoppers in their quests,

And workers: a chef, a banker and a nurse.

She tried not to block the walk, she did her best,

But then it happened: she dropped her purse.

Someone help her! I wanted to shout.

No one did and walked around to hurry on.

They all had business to be about.

Stretching over, her face revealed a silent moan.

I helped her gnarled fingers grasp the prize

Her face released the grinding frown,

And then she took me by surprise,

For joy broke forth when I looked down.

Relief, then comfort, and her face glowed.

Her thanks required no voice or word.

Better thanked by such a smile as she bestowed,

And I walked on, but vision blurred.

Three Moves Equals a Fire

Boy, it's true.  When you move, you throw away a lot of stuff.  Stuff you had forgotten you had, and stuff you wish you had found, and lots of just junk stuff.  But I am moved now.  I am taking off on a new track.  I had three years of living alone, and I loved it.  Now I will be living with my daughter and my granddaughter.  Changes are good.  I don't necessarily like the things that change, but I am convinced that I am made better by adapting and learning.

Carol is my invalid daughter.  Living with her implies that I will be serving her needs.  God thinks I need this discipline.  I am basically a selfish person.  I want what I want.  It will be good for me.  I may come here to complain sometimes though. 

Sarah is in college.  She is studying Criminal Justice.  I find that an oxymoron, but it is a growth industry.  She may find a very lucrative job--well, maybe not very lucrative, but at least plentiful job opportunities.

Sarah has the loft.  Climbing stairs will be good for her.  I will do it as little as possible.  She makes hesitant ventures into the idea of weight control periodically.  I would very much like to help her achieve her goals.  Climbing stairs is my contribution.

Carol will enjoy my TV.  She loves the food shows, and her cable has a very limited choice, but my DISH Network has many of them.  Some things will be good.  I may spend a lot more time on the computer.  I like to be alone.  Come by to visit.  See how I'm doing.

Image via Wikipedia

New Stuff for Old People

I have created a website.  It is called "Getting Old Online."  I hope you will all come over and see it:  It has some information and links and it will get better as my skills improve.  I am old but I'm not dead yet, so I figure I need to expand my horizons.

There may be pages dedicated to items of interest like genealogy, food, social commentary, religion, the Bible, and kites.  If you are old too, or even if you aren't, I'd love to see you there.  Getting old doesn't mean we have forgotten the language or don't understand the value of life anymore.  Actually it may mean we have increased our grasp of life and situations and we are now ready to do a better job.  At least it is a postulate I would like to explore.

Again with the Cycles

One thing or period or saga ends and another begins.  That's life.  As I said before, I am moving.  I still have the really big stuff to go, like the washer and dryer and the bed and dresser and the desk with the computer and the TV.  But a lot of what made it livable is already in the new place--the dining room table, the couch, the rugs. 

I get very frustrated when I think about the changes, but then I consider it a new challenge.  It is the place I suppose God wants me to be.  It is a place I didn't really want to be, but you do what you can to help, or you do what you have to, or you just do the next thing.

I have this irrational idea that things will improve when we are living together.  I will be able to give Carol a bath more often, and I will fix meals on a regular schedule.  I will help Sarah more and help channel her energies.  Sure I will.  All these wonderful things will occur.  So if they don't we're no worse off than we were before.  Except that we've spent a lot of money to learn this lesson.  There I go being negative again.

Life is a learning experience.  And it is a loving experience.  I love Carol and Sarah.  If I can help them, that's enough.  If it goes sour, at least I tried.  Who knows?  Something beautiful may come out of this.