The First Time

“you like me, you really like me!”

I heard the news and I called my mother – because that’s what you do when good things happen to you. That is, if you are lucky enough to have a mother who, a) is still alive, b) is aware of your existence, and c) cares.

This isn’t starting very well.

The point is, when you are happy you call someone who will allow you to wallow in your happiness without being jealous or saying, “that’s nice, now let me tell you about my day.”

Anyway, I said to her, “Mom, guess what, one of my stories just got Freshly Pressed! ”
Mom: “Oh, uh, congratulations! What does that mean?”

I tried to explain, “WordPress a blogging website, there are like thousands [millions] of people who write blogs there. And Freshly Pressed is a kind of central place where the editors feature certain blogs and people can see what’s going on with their fellow bloggers.”

“That’s great! Can I send it to Grandma?”

To my mother, sending something to my 94-year-old grandmother is the same as sticking something up on the fridge.   In other words, the only proof that you have accomplished something.

I told her that the story was one she and Grandma had already read, and no, being Freshly Pressed wasn’t at all like being published. And without intending to, my mother brought me back down out of the clouds to the still as-yet-unpublished-wannabe that I am.

I gave up completely when my explanation of the WordPress community started sounding like a self-help group. “No, I don’t have to pay anything. Yes, I guess you can say it is all volunteer. No I’ve never met any of them, but yes, some of them are becoming friends, in that we have a great deal of mutual affection.”

My mother’s responses became monosyllabic. We changed the subject.

Diminishment through over-explanation. Have you ever told a joke to someone only to get to the punchline and have the listener give you a half-smile and say, “I don’t get it?” You try to explain and the joke stops being funny.

Anyway, I console myself with the knowledge that all of you get it. Thank you all for my ‘blogger high.’

P.S. I’d like to take the opportunity of my brief view count blip to share a link to Company for Christmas. (see the C4C badge over to the right?) On Christmas Day a group of bloggers will be hanging out ready for a chat or a comment if you are alone that day. From the C4C about page: “It can be hard to reach out. So RoS started this Blog, to see if maybe some fellow bloggers would be there to talk to around Christmas for others who are separated from loved ones.” Please check it out.