Monday, November 17, 2008

Two years of prattling on about nothing...

Well, yes my friends. Today is this little blog's two year anniversary!

Woo Hoo!

I spruced up a bit around here for the occasion and may even design a masthead or something in the next couple weeks to mark the next chapter for this little blog.

When I think about the last two years, I'm awe-struck with how much my life has changed. Ever wonder what made me start writing here? Here you go:

Back in October 2006, I had surgery and had a 4 week recovery time at home. I was MISERABLE. The pain meds made me sick and dizzy. I was lonely and isolated, and most of all I felt like I had very few people to turn to. I was maxing out the usual suspects, and my uber-private, insular ways were keeping everyone else away.

In an effort to continue recovery without lapsing into a deep depression, I made a drastic decision: I would take the train to New York and rest there - with myriad options of things to do within the 3-block radius that I could walk.

I went by myself.

Much like the time I drove from Washington DC to Long Island, by myself at 17, in the midst of Hurricane Hugo, this was a bad decision. I wasn't ready. I was still too weak.

I almost made it to my friend's house. Almost. But the subway was too much for me to handle. I was in pain, feeling faint, and barely able to stay vertical. I miraculously got myself onto a subway train. And oddly, right at that moment, I ran into a friend from high school, one I hadn't seen in 10 years. I don't really remember the conversation, but the next day I had her card in my purse, so I emailed her - damage control. I knew I hadn't told her that I was nursing a recent (6 inch) surgical incision, or that I was about to pass out. I know I didn't ask her to help - I waited until it was close to my stop and then asked the man next to me to help me off the train. He was distrustful, but obliged.

She had written on her blog about it. From the post, it was obvious she had no idea what was going on, and was confused and maybe a little offended. But what I really noticed was her beautiful writing. She was (and is) great at writing short reaction pieces. It was the first blog I had ever read, and I was impressed.

And I wanted to start one of my own.

The surgery came at a moment when my organizing efforts on poverty issues were beginning to wane. I thought I could use this space to create what I had always wanted - a place where everything and everyone could mix and mingle. And eventually, this virtual space could become a real space - a place where meeting and organizing could happen, people could talk about issues and come up with solutions, and I could feel like I was doing something important.

So that hasn't quite happened, but this blog has been successful none-the-less. It's a catch-all for everything in my life: my interests, my relationships, my philosophies.

I'm really happy and proud that I've continued it so long. Now, it is time to raise the bar!

Here are my goals for the future:

- Take more photos and post more photos.

- Research more stories on my own and rely less on the Washington Post for content.

- Encourage people to dialogue - less sermon, more discussion.

Anything you all want to see? I'm taking requests.

2 comments:

Oreste said...

Hello Kathryn, a salute from rome. Ciao

Unknown said...

Happy (belated) 2nd blog anniversary! I stopped reading blogs there for a while. I don't know what happened; I just got out of the habit. And, as you may have noticed, I nearly quit writing in mine. But once you start, it's so hard to stop. And it really is so cathartic and if you have that drive to write, I think it really is a good exercise to write for the public eye on a regular basis. I'm glad you've kept with it.

I don't remember much of our conversation either and I don't recall being offended. I think you seemed tired. I was really touched that you had sought me out even though you were so weak. I'm grateful that we reconnected that day. I wish you had told me you needed help, though.