It’s been a while since I wrote something up here. I think I had the blogging itch for about two weeks, and then I was back to writing in my physical journal. But I want to be better at updating this thing (she says, echoing the countless other times she has said this on other blogs).
However, in order to do that, I should probably have something I want to say and share with others. That’s the whole point of a public blog, right?
For a while I was posting about my own life experiences, but that puts me in a situation where I have a finite amount of material – and then these posts inadvertently began to resemble pieces of advice. Upon noticing this, I began to feel uncomfortable. Am I qualified to make those judgements and dispense advice? I mean, what do I really know about the world?
At the time of this particular post, I am 22 years old. I am a millennial. Some of the issues I face right now are student debt, navigating my ethnic/racial identity, and all of that fun stuff that comes with identifying as a woman. I’ve been to three other states and maybe a handful of countries outside of the United States (some just as a layover). How could someone like me suggest any type of direction to anyone?
This, of course, led me to the usual inner battle I have where I try to validate my own experiences. You know, the usual, “don’t worry, we all have something to bring to the table” bit. But then I realized that I this “advice” I had wasn’t really a problem. When I write, I don’t mean to say, “Hi reader, here are some rules to live by!” What I’m actually saying (or trying to say) is, “Hi reader, here is where I’m at in my life. This is what I think I know so far.”
My cultural history teacher in high school loved to talk to us students about how we are “forever ignorant.” And it’s true. We can only know so much. Accept it. From what I’ve experienced, growing up means knowing your limits. You will not have every single sentence of Encyclopedia Britannica memorized down to the punctuation marks. And that’s a-okay! Because any gaps you have in your knowledge (whatever that means) can be filled as best as they can through conversations with friends and other life experiences.
There are some weird moments in my life that I think about constantly and look to for “advice.” For some reason, I’m reminded of this one time I ate out at a pizza place with some people from work. My co-worker ordered a slice of cheese pizza and said something along the lines of, “If they can do a simple thing really well, then I’m happy.” And sure enough, that pizza slice was good.
So I’m going to try and keep it simple. My posts will pull from my own life and interests. I will stick with what I know and care about. My physical journals have often ventured into some deep introspection and a lot of future planning, but this blog is no place for that. That’s like experimenting with some type of fusion dish and asking others to try it without eating it yourself.
(I think I’m going a little out-there on this metaphor, but I haven’t quite jumped the shark yet, so I’m going to keep going.)
Anyway, this is my blog. It is about my own experiences and interests. I am constantly learning and evolving, and I am sharing this with you so we can all learn and grow together.
I hope that’s simple enough. Enjoy your cheese pizza, friends.
GIVE GUTS 