Someone Once Said...

“The acorn becomes an oak by means of automatic growth; no commitment is necessary. The kitten similarly becomes a cat on the basis of instinct. Nature and being are identical in creatures like them. But a man or woman becomes fully human only by his or her choices and his or her commitment to them. People attain worth and dignity by the multitude of decisions they make from day by day.” Rollo May

Growing from the shadows, an Oak reaches for the sunshine.



Roses

But he that dares not grasp the thorn

Should never crave the rose.

Anne Bronte

Weekend Routine

Start by doing what's necessary;

then do what's possible;

and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

Saint Francis of Assisi



Working on the necessary this weekend.

The Sound of Silence

I recently read some great tips about blogging but one in particular left me feeling a bit...I don't know, not offended really, but ...sad I guess.

It seems some people are really put off by music on our blogs.

Sometimes it catches you off guard, me too, that's why I always turn my volume down low when I start blogging.

But I love to listen to music on blogs I visit!

I turn my radio off so I can listen to the blog authors' playlists. It doesn't matter to me if the music is themed to the post, the blog in general, or is random music the author likes. It adds to the experience of knowing the person behind the blog. It's also a great way to be introduced to music you might not otherwise be exposed to.

I even go as far as going to a particular blog and turning up the music really loud while I do housework. Confessions of a Plate Addict is one of those I regularly listen too because she plays wonderful French songs. It doesn't matter that I can't understand a word. It's the atmosphere it provides that I love. If you go by there as of this post you will hear the theme from Superman. Her most recent post is about some darling action hero dolls she and her grandson made. But hey, Superman is inspiring too...I'll be able to leap huge piles of laundry!

I even had a "Reese's" moment (remember the old commercials, "Hey you got chocolate in my peanut butter!" "Well you got peanut butter on my chocolate") when my blog window was open playing "Little Houses" at the same time I was visiting another blog that had birds tweeting in the background. The two combined were even better than a peanut butter cup!

What upset me about the tip was the idea that if you "are a serious blogger" and want to be "successful" at it, and have lots of followers and comments you can't have music.
I guess it depends on what dictionary you use why you're counting followers and comments. I don't mind ads on blogs, I think it's a neat way to make money and in this economy it's a blessing for many. And I love shopping other blogger's stores. But some blogs I used to enjoy are starting to be more of a sales pitch for their advertisers and sponsors than anything else.

It just leaves me...sad...for them.