Category Archives: friends

friends

Why I’ll stay with Facebook…

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Oh Facebook. Your constant updates drive me insane. You’ve seriously missed the boat in areas. You got rid of sorting your wall by post type, and you still haven’t figured out how to let me merge a group into a page. Your latest update has made it harder for me to figure out if I am seeing what I want to see. And I’m a bit leery of this timeline change still coming at us.

However, I have to confess. I’m not leaving Facebook anytime soon. The latest update as kept me from being on it as much as I was, but its not run me off completely. Because I like to know what is going on with others. No, not in that creepy stalker way. In that genuinely interested way.

I have almost 650 friends on Facebook.Of those, maybe 50 of those people are people I don’t really know or have known in the past. Those the people on that “restricted” list and that I have friended purely for networking reasons. (Or, in a hand full of cases, just to be polite.) The rest are people I know now or who I’ve known in the past. Old college acquaintances. High school classmates and peers. A few people I know back in elementary school. Several old message board and LiveJournal friends. Etc.

I am genuinely interested in all of these people’s lives. I love to see the hundreds of different paths that life has taken us all. Parents. World travelers. Military. Blue collar workers. Many in different states now. Others settled right where they grew up.

At the end of the day, we all come back down to the basis of relying on our friends. A bad day, we turn to each other for support. A prayer request reaches many at one time. A good day, we want to share our joy.  A birthday… you get a smile at the birthday wishes from all over the world, from all over your past.

I have to work a lot harder now to keep up with all my friends. I’ve been forced to create more friend’s lists than ever before just to sort through the posts easier (and I am still missing things, I know). New updates will surely be met with grumbling. But… I’m going to keep doing it. Being able to keep up with old friends and new means I’ll adjust to the changes, because friends are worth the headache.

friends, writing

Writing talents I don’t possess

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293: Writer's Night
Songwriters Matt Willis and Rick Tiger

Yesterday, I went to a writer’s night to see a couple friends perform their songs. I’ve attended other writer’s nights, but last night… last night was just something special for me.

I sat down, and I listened. Really listened. Oh okay, I snapped a few photos, but I was there to be a spectator, not a photographer. My husband commented that I had a smile on my face the whole time.

For me, it was not just about the music, it was about watching these people living their dreams. Writing their songs and performing for people who want to hear them. I was so proud of my friends. So happy for them!

And… I was in awe.

See, when someone asks me what I do, I used to respond, “I’m a writer!”

I don’t do that any more. Not that I’m not a writer (blogger), but when you say “writer” in Nashville, people think you are a songwriter. And, hey, its an easy and logical assessment! Music city. Writer. Music. Songs. Songwriter. Makes sense.

But, alas, no. I am no songwriter. In fact, I am in awe of songwriters. I admire their abilities to convey such emotion through their words. I admire their ability to tell a whole story in a few verses and a chorus. I admire their ability to take a throw away hook and turn it into a work of art.

I write, but I can’t craft a song. I don’t even do (serious) poetry. I might write the random limerick or haiku for humor-sake. Perhaps a cute little rhyme here and there. But past that? I leave the song writing to the professionals. I admire their talents. I respect them. And I sincerely wish them all the success in the world doing it.