Say what?

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People, and Americans in particular,  have a lot to say and we’re not afraid to say it. WordPress alone has 367,010 blogs. There’s many other blogging sites as well, and self-hosted blogs. It’s difficult to know how many blogs are out there, but one estimate is 15 million. Yes, that’s MILLION. Then there’s Twitter, Facebook, and Plinky Prompts. People write these writings, read these writings,  comment on these writings, and read more comments on these writings. No wonder people don’t have time to read ordinary newspapers anymore. One could literally be online all day, every day, and not run out of things to read.

I’ve follow a few blogs as favorites, but in reality, by the time I work on my own blog, read Facebook and occasionally write a Plinky Prompt, I don’t have time to do much more. I also read the daily local newspaper, subscribe to one magazine (okay, it’s Better Homes and Gardens) and two nurse practitioner journals. Then I get daily email updates – from Medscape, MD Consult and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).  Then of course I get a lot of email. Much of it I don’t want, but still have to glance through in case there’s something important. I’m a fast reader and still have a hard time keeping up with all this. Then there’s the paper mail in the mail box to sort through, which more and more is nothing I need or want, except the bills.

In sorting through all this writing, I find that some is good in many ways, some not so much. I like to read news, funny or pithy comments and look at pictures  from my family and friends on Facebook. But I really don’t need to know what someone ate that day or did every hour,  or their excessively lengthy opinions on politics and what they’re wearing. I’ve avoided Twitter because I already have enough to read, and frankly much of it sounds like minutia. (Sorry Twitter fans). Yet, I get ecstatic when I get a new follower on Plinky Prompts (yes I really do have followers) or when people read my blog. In some ways I can’t believe that anyone would care about what I have to say, yet it’s exhilarating to know that someone does.

Our world is big. Everything has gone global. Yet, we all want to be heard and have our opinions matter. Take some time today to read what you value, and affirm to those who write it that you care about what they say. And if you write, make it worthwhile.  Write well. Make someone laugh, cry, think, learn. Make it thoughtful and something that  matters so it’s not lost in our sea of words.

(As if you don’t have enough to read already, you can follow me on Plinky at  http://www.plinky.com/people/huffygirl/answers)

(Here’s a great link that explains RSS feeds, which are purported to simplify your web reading. I haven’t subscribed to RSS yet, so let me know if it’s helpful. Scroll down until you see the video. http://blog.plinky.com/

© The author and Huffygirl’s Blog, 2010 to 3010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and Huffygirl’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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Plinky Prompts: Funny, You Don’t Look a Day Over …

What would you do to land a summer job?

 

Now that I’m at an age where most women DO lie about their age, I don’t. I like to think that I look younger than my actual age (who doesn’t) so why would I lie about it? When people say to me “My goodness you don’t look like you could possibly be ______” it’s much more satisfying than if I had already shaved some years off my age.

The one time I did lie about my age was when I was seventeen and just graduated from high school. I wanted to get a summer job so I would have some money to take to college, but everywhere I looked for a real job that wasn’t babysitting or picking up trash in the park, the employer wanted someone 18 or older. I wasn’t going to turn eighteen until December and I needed money now. After being rejected repeatedly for my age, I finally figured out that I could lie and just SAY I was 18. Either it was way easier to lie about your age back then, or the employer was not very thorough, because I got away with it. I don’t remember having to show ID, or maybe I did but covered up my date of birth with my thumb.

So what was the job I wanted so badly that I lied to get? It was calling people to apply for a Montgomery Ward’s credit cards. It was one of the original telemarketing jobs which was pretty new back then. Was it worth it? I hated every minute of the job, but did earn enough money to take to school, convinced my boyfriend to apply for a Monkey Wards card, and I am to this day exceedingly polite to telemarketers when I tell them I’m not interested.

© The author and Huffygirl’s Blog, 2010 to 3010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and Huffygirl’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.