Tuesday, February 10, 2009

A Different, Better View

I wrote about some of the issues I have with blogging in my very first post, iCaved. One of the key problems I have stems from my own insecurities, the sense I've had for most of my lifetime that nobody will ever see that I'm special in good ways; not because I've got a weird name, not because my parents had a generation gap of their own, not because I espouse a different religion than most people I know. That sounds very infantile, but since the problem began in my infancy it's appropriately childish.

I spend a lot of time lurking on lifestyle blogs, peeking in on the lives of sophisticated, elegant aesthetes and artists. And Mormon mommy blogs, because I'm jealous of the prettiness. I've not met most of these bloggers which probably adds to the fairytale nature of their online images.

But, yesterday I read a comment where someone congratulated a parent on his ability to encourage his grown daughter to "develop her talents." (His daughter has one of those fairytale blogs I look at, wishing for the prettiness and romance of the photographs she creates professionally.)

I hadn't thought about pursuing dreams as a means of developing a talent. There is a competitiveness to the sport of blogging. But perhaps it isn't always about showing off how great your life is. . .maybe sometimes it's for sharing personal growth.

10 comments:

Sacto Cat Woman said...

Starr, I love your blog. I like the pictures of the cute children and the feeling that you are a real person raising real people. Your blog is what inspired me to start one of my own. So you see, you helped one little old lady begin to get in touch with her creative side. Go you! Keep up the good work. Oh, and tell Jason to keep the tie. Dressing up a bit for church shows respect to God.

Anonymous said...

Starr! first of all I love your name, second of all, insecurities?
You are one of the most beautiful people I know! Your patience and kindness is unsurpassable, your ability to befriend is outstanding, your love for your family is to be greatly admired, your strength is an inspiration to me. Fairytale? well that is a definition in itself, everyone has issues, there is no such thing as perfect, only one is perfect and we both know who He is. You said something to me once that I think about often, "My mother was the type to let the dishes sit in the sink, cause she would rather play with us". To me that is a fairytale. My mother did neither.
I have taken this quote and incorporated into my life with Bailey. Thank you my friend. I love you.

Anonymous said...

dare I say it?

"beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

celine said...

any type of journaling, public or private, tracks growth -- good point. it is just the publicity of the average that is not so normal, but blogging makes it so. eird changes in the social world -- i hear ya.

Mary Beth said...

I have the same issues with blogs, and have come near quitting because of it on several occasions... it's a weird little world, isn't it? And takes some of the RS issues of comparing ourselves to each other to a ridiculous level. I love your blog though- and how true and genuine you are.

I miss you.

The Glove said...

Starr, I think you're special in a lot of ways. The day I met you at TGIFridays in St. Louis and you put your leg behind your head, that was special. Visiting and seeing you on Skype is special. We miss you over here and even though we seem to be in a hurry all the time, we value every second of Skype time.
About the “insecurities”, if we really knew, all people have insecurities; we just feel it and express it in different ways. Some resort to violence others go into seclusion, the well adjusted of us ‘blog’! :-)
On a more serious note, God knows about those insecurities and loves his children with a specialness that goes beyond understanding. I like what is said in Ephesians 1 (especially verses 3 to 7).
Grandpa Ted thinks your special too.

Jessica said...

Well Starr, I think the only thing I can say is,AMEN to that! (I would be referring to the comments that have come before mine) I think any woman knows what you are talking about! And any man would try to pretend that he knew what you were talking about :)! Well, Just remember life is full of insecurities, but also Joy! Oh Joy, the greatest happiness there is. So why insecurities, well we need to learn how to balance. that's all life really is, a balanceing act. now, im not sure where exactly I was going with this, other than to say, that you are loved by many, and growth can only be determined by those who know where the tree began in the first place. Many may be able to look at the circles in the tree and see how far the tree has come, but only those who planted the tree, loved it and cared for its roots can really know where it's been, and the true journey it has made. And those are the people who really matter, who know how to love you and will always be there to help you grow. So, fairytales, well they are just that, a fictional story that for a short time may seem glamorous, and lively. and the characters are at the mercy of the author. We know of a much better story, A plan if you will. A happiness that cannot be reached when we are controlled by an author. So really, do we want a fairtale, or do we want the harder road, the road that is real, that leads us back to home. Well, even a blog can't tell you that! ;)
k so this comment: totally random, sorry. Love ya girl!!

Kristin said...

Thanks for posting SUCH a refreshing thought - one reason I have such a hard time posting is because of this very thing.

Marie Rayner said...

Starr, I have always loved visiting your blog and reading about your family life. Todd and I could not have children of our own and that is something I really, truly miss. I thank you for allowing me these lovely little glimpses into your beautiful little family. I blog because I want to help people if I can and if anyone can glean some wisdom from anything I've experienced then that's great. I also love sharing the gospel with people. I don't bang them over the head with it though, I like to think of it as a gentle stroking! :-)

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