Do you guys realize that we’ve been meeting here at anewscafe.com for what will be four, count ‘em: FOUR years, come November 2015? I know! Surprised the heck out of me too. When I was looking back over some of my columns and realized the first one was published in November 2011 it kind of set me back in my chair. Well, you know what the ubiquitous “they” say about time flying. Of course, I maintain that time flies whether you’re having fun or not so you might a well enjoy it!
This writing for public consumption thing was a new and (a-hem) novel experience for me. Oh, I’d written letters and press releases and term papers and all the other concrete communication detritus one percolates in the land of existence, but I
had never even considered the possibility that I might write stuff that people would then read. Heaven knows I never doubted that I had things to say. Shy and retiring has never been high on my fun factor list so I tended to say what crossed my mind whether I censored it or not. One of my college professors referred to me as being “shy like a steam roller.” Nope, haven’t changed all that much over the years either. But my blatherings, as I endearingly call them, tended to be of the verbal kind and not committed to print where I couldn’t deny or at least waffle about what I had said.
Committing to print? What an air of finality there is about that phrase. And never more so than in the ephemeral character of the netscape. Once it’s out there, there’s no going back. No changing your mind in mid-air and climbing back on the diving board. All the mistakes, errant ideas and thoughts and typos and warts . . . all of it just tossed out into ether-land for all to peruse and critique.
So I, in all my 75-year-old naiveté sat down and began to cast my bread on the water, as the Bible so aptly describes it. I like to say I took my thoughts and
“flang ‘em” out there. Well, I’ve never had a very good filter when it comes to expressing myself verbally, so I guess I shouldn’t expect anything much different in print. As a result, and to my IMMENSE surprise and no small reward, you guys seemed to read these tid-bits and many of you have been kind enough to make remarks. Let me rephrase that: MOST of you have been kind in your remarks.
Besides all that, anewscafe.com is a wonderfully, nurturing family. These online relationships do not fit the traditional description of what a relationship should look like, but relationships they are. I think this whole endeavor would have been terribly daunting if I’d made an attempt to envision this whole creative process from the beginning. But, as is said, ignorance is . . . and all the rest, and Doni’s faith in me and the online comments have gotten me to this outpost of my life.
When I, on occasion, go back a read some of the things I’ve written down, I’m probably the most surprised of all. I think the best part of this endeavor is that as I get older . . . and I do know that is inevitable eventually . . . it’s fun to go back and surprise myself at what I said. Sometimes that’s good . . . sometimes, not so much!
So, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, US . . . . and thank you, anewscafe and Doni for midwifing this creative endeavor.