Lunch and Heartbreak

Hi.

Remember when blogging first became a craze and everyone was doing it and everyone was reading everyone else and there was no Twitter or Facebook or Buzzfeed quizzes to find out which cheese/shoe/fictional character you were? There was only your "feed reader" with dozens (or hundreds) of blogs that you tried to check every week. And we were all writing (and reading) about each others' lunch and heartbreak.

I say "everyone," but blogging was still new enough that it wasn't the pervasive thing it is now, and to be a "blogger" was still an interesting or odd or embarrassing or empowering label. Remember that? 

It's not that I'm not feeling particularly nostalgic about those times, I was just thinking about how blogging used to feel both more intense (higher quantities) and less intense (lower stakes). Nowadays, for me, at least, blogging often feels too cumbersome and heavy. I'm a creative writer, so I want the stories I tell here to be good. I'm a freelance writer, editor, and teacher, so I want the posts to be engaging and useful. There's a lot of pressure to write something interesting and sharable. Showing up just to say "hi" and tell you what I had for lunch or what's breaking my heart these days doesn't seem like enough.

But sometimes, lunch and heartbreak are what's on my mind. Sometimes, I don't want to blog so I can tell you a great story or teach you something. Sometimes I just want to say: "Hi. For lunch today I had last night's leftovers: gluten-free pasta with homemade roasted tomato sauce; grilled chicken topped with basil, prosciutto, and provolone; and sauteed kale, because I do love kale, which has nothing to do with its hipster popularity, I just like it."

And I want to say: "Hi. My heart has been breaking lately from all the usual suspects big and small: war, racism, death, lost friendships, people's lack of clean water, disease, economics, misunderstandings. Sometimes I have to sit outside and stare at the green trees to remember that I'm mostly fine and that I need to stop sweating the small stuff all the damn time because it's draining and pointless to sweat the small stuff when the big stuff is also chipping away at your joy. Does it really matter if my neighbors shake their heads at the weeds-as-tall-as-me that are growing in the front of my house? Should I really be fretting over how much I didn't accomplish today? Does it do me any good to feel anxious most of the time because apparently I've developed a sort of anxious auto-pilot that constantly runs in the background? The answer to all of these questions is 'No.' There's enough true heartbreak to go around without all of these little ones piling up in the corners of our psyches."

I'm not saying that blogging was better before. I'm not even pining for the days of lunch and heartbreak posts. I just wanted to say "hi," and to remind myself that not all online interactions have to be well-crafted essays or meaningful sales pitches or pithy status updates.

Sometimes, you just want to connect. Sometimes, you just want to say: I ate this. I'm worried about this. I'll be okay, and I hope you will be, too.

Comments

[Barb Markway]

Thanks for this, Jenna! My blogging has totally dwindled for many of these reasons. I feel a burden to not just add more "noise" to the Internet, but I know there are some people who probably miss hearing from me, even if I don't have anything brilliant to say.

[d smith kaich jones]

i so agree with this. i have nothing to teach anyone - hahaha! i've blogged about that! - and i feel pressured (by who? myself?) to offer more than just my stories, when my stories are all i have.

[Kathryn Dyche Dechairo]

So much truth in this. I could definitely relate.

[Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams]

There is so much pressure, each word must be crafted, thought out, SEO'd or is that now fallen by the wayside...keywords, and tweeted, G+'d and social media inclined are now second nature to everyone.

I miss the old days when my blogging friends told the truth, and it was real. Honest, and rather mundane...even now we can't just have lunch, it has to be locally sourced, gourmet, and heirloom. And it must include a organic kale dish...[I'm joking, not poking fun at anyone].

It's the friendships that I have garnered that mean more to me then the stats,the social media uptakes, and the chance to go viral....by the way going viral used to mean everyone got a cold in school to us....now well..we all know what it means.

Jen

[Kira Elliott]

I love this post for the simple fact it does give that glimpse into your day. This is what connection is about. Writing is about saying here this is how I see the world today and I know for myself, it rarely momentous or full of deep meaning.

[Kimberley McGill]

Yes. And yes. and oh yes! Sending you lots of love!

[Melissa]

I could have written this.

You know, if I wasn't worried if it was good enough for the blog or measured up or ALL THE THINGS you say so damn well in this post.

This is exactly why my blogging has been dwindling. Exactly. I just couldn't put the words to it until now.

Thank you.

[Debbie]

Oh my goodness - you spoke my heart.
Just last week I put my blog on an indefinite hold because I just didn't want to live my life with the pressure of everything having to be worthy of a status.
I just want to live again!

Yes, yes, yes!

Thank you!