Dear Dr. Dennum,
Posted by amy at October 9th, 2007
I love when a comment spurs a real post.
Dear Dr. Dennum, 
Thanks for the arm chair psychoanalysis, the check is in the mail.
Actually, I think what you may be picking up on is a general shift in the direction of the blog. I’ve tried since the beginning not to be one of those bloggers who writes about all the minutia of daily lives - in the beginning, it was clearly a knitting blog, then a parent who knits blog, then an academic technology blog, and now, now it is just my blog. And as such, I use it as a space to work out ideas that I’m recognizing and or working through in real life.
I don’t deny much of what you wrote - I am an achiever, I have been focused on goals through most of my life - most of them were external (degrees, publishing dates, childbirth) and the ones I’m facing now are far more personal and far more satisfying. I feel like I’ve gotten to a point in my life where the scaffolding has come off and I’m able to fully support myself (and a family of four!) and I’m glad to realize that I still have more to discover. What you see as panic, I see as exhiliration. I love my life, I love the path I’ve carved out for myself and I am eager to explore what is in front of me.
That doesn’t mean I’m not able to enjoy the here and now - I just don’t tend to write about the small stuff - like how my eyes watered with pride that my 4 year old son figured out how to hold his pencil right after a week of crying that it was too hard, or the smile that came over me when my daughter informed that another child was not showing respect to his host at an outing at Whitney’s farm. I get the small stuff, I savor the small stuff, but I also know myself well enough to know that I need the big things as well, because, well, because that is who I am and I’m ok with that.
Amy…Thanks for the check. It was way to much, considering the post I made. I am glad to see that you are pausing to partake of the essence of life.
Upon reflecting of the theme of your blog, I have to agree with you, that things we strive for are nothing more than goals we set for ourselves, though I never looked at it in that way. Hmmmm…..(You have taught Dr. Dennum something, so I will send the check back.) You seem to have successfully been able to combine achievement with realistic life situations. That’s a good thing. Personal expectations have there place but not at the exclusion of and put before what is really important.
Blogs are what we want them to be. Just another way to express what interest us and communicate with those that may have similar interest. Me, I like to yell at do nothing Politicians and those that think money is what life is all about. I like to scream at those that put superficiality above real solutions and try to peddle us snake water and call it medicine.
Southview
Or is that Snake Oil?
Southview
thanks for the comment and loved this VFair focus its amazing and how wonderful the contrast of light. namaste, hillary
hillary rubin