Perfect post

For those of you who know nothing about the blogging community, this may sound like jibberish, but sometimes it surprises me who is considered a "bigger" or "more popular" blogger. (Of course sometimes it just plain doesn't.) Sure, It's a matter of taste -- when it comes to writing, tastes vary wildly; you still can't convince me Dickens isn't anything but boring garbage, but my eighth grade English teacher disagreed with me pretty strongly -- but, still, there are times when I see someone's Twitter followers number or the amount of regular comments they get, and I think, Huh, I must be missing something. And, sometimes I stumble upon someone who is so ridiculously talented and inspiring and honest, I simply can't believe they're not being offered a respectable salary by anyone with a brain to continue putting their thoughts on the Internet day in and day out.

Elizabeth is in the latter group.

From her post today:

"This was the week you gave your first spanking – quick as lightning, without thought, as glass shattered everywhere and your son headed for the thick of it, and then the instant afterwards, his face crumpled and you saw his dream of you change, right there, right before your eyes, and it made you hate yourself so very much. . . . and that night you sleep curled into a C, wrapped around your son, and you listen for his breathing, and you think as hard as you can that you want so much to take it all back, all the yelling and complaining and declaring 'I have had enough from you!' and it’s all you can feel, all you can think, that you take it all back, as hard as you can."

Confession: When I first had Kyle, I had to stop reading a few blogs. I was having a hard go of it, and I would get even sadder when I'd read about other people's perfect, shiny lives with children who never screamed, who slept all the time, who never forced their moms into the closet to cry. Thankfully, life is pretty sweet again, and I see the shine on a daily basis, but I'm still not inspired much by perfection. 

I not only kept reading Elizabeth during those early weeks, I inhaled her archives and read certain posts over and over. Not because her life isn't bright -- it's blinding, I'd say -- but because she's brave and fearless and real.

Sometimes I don't get a blogger's appeal. Other times, I want everyone I've ever known to click on a certain link, so they too can be changed by a few simple words.

(And her boy really is that adorable; I've met him myself.)

Comments

[auntie]

i also heart elizabeth's blog - she can be funny and angry and real and a hundred other things all at once in her writing. plus, that little blond-haired boy is too adorable.

and in case you didn't know it, you also fit into that same category...complete with the cute little boy!

[Kristen]

I found Elizabeth's blog through you and I couldn't agree with you more. She is an incredible writer and I am humbled by her honesty.

[NGS]

Too true. I read that post and just thought it was beautiful. That feeling she was describing is an awful feeling, to be sure, but the way she wrote about it? That was beautiful.

[slynnro]

I love me some Elizabeth. She says things I didn't know were true about myself until I read her say them about HERself.

[jodifur]

beautiful post.

I sincerely hope I was not one of the people you stopped reading. B/c I would no argue my life was perfect. In fact, Michael has become the demon child.

[jonniker]

I really hate the shiny people.

I do love Elizabeth, however.

But my GOD, the shiny people. I'm all for happiness -- God knows I spew it out there myself. But how about some BALANCE, people. BALANCE. Life is hard! And real! And believe me, we will still love you if you stop trying to glow with golden, perfect LIFE all the time. GAH GAH GAH.

[Elizabeth]

This is so lovely of you. My bright spot on a rough day and in a rough patch.
I am honored that someone I like so very much thinks so much of me.

[She Likes Purple]

Jonna, amen, friend. AMEN. Seriously, the people I like/admire/respect most are the ones who never try to glow.

[la petite belle]

i think this is what I like about you- you are so real

[Crystal]

Parenting is not all sunshine and rainbows. Of course we love our children, but love and the reality of daily life do not always go hand in hand.

[Maggie]

It was gorgeous.

[Legallyblondemel]

I get where you're coming from here, entirely. It's nice to hear someone else say it.

That is quite an excerpt you've quoted; to call it powerful is to sell it entirely short.

It's interesting - my style doesn't (or often) delve into the personal, and I like a mix of writing - some intensely "un-shiny" like this, and others that are either just funny or chic or in some other way presents a unique point of view. I like that our virtual community is big enough for all.

[Mrs. Newlywed]

Hm I see what you are saying.

However, my blog isn't usually about my day-to-day life. I'm completely anonymous [no pictures and no names], and I spend my time writing about things like clothes and nonsense.

I don't think this makes me any less of a good blogger. I just don't think the blogging world needs to know every detail of my life [just because that is my style]. I'm not trying to put on airs or be perfect.

Blogging has plenty of room for all sorts of bloggers. I think that is the nice part about it.

[AmyB]

This is so interesting, because while I think these same thoughts about Elizabeth, an amazing writer that I follow religiously, I also think them about YOU. Just thought you should know.

[Violet]

I know, I'm posting late on this, but I just had to comment. I remember very well how annoyed I was with some of my favorite bloggers when my son was born last year. I have a daughter, who was 2, and I was following a few blogs who were in the same situation, and as their babies were born, they all gushed about how wonderful their toddlers were; no demands, no jealousies, constantly helpful and pleasant. I was so optimistic, I wanted to smack every blogger when my son was born and it wasn't QUITE like that for me. I felt gypped, but I also felt like they must have put WAY too much of a happy spin on it. I must have skipped reading them for 3 months, until things were all good again.

Maybe it's like photos - people tend to take them when people are smiling, not when they are crying.