Personal Space: Writing Prompt

Personal space:

To what extent is your blog a place for your own self-expression and creativity vs. a site designed to attract readers? How do you balance that? If sticking to certain topics and types of posts meant your readership would triple, would you do it?

I love this question. I will admit, I like the idea of people following my blog. If I didn’t I would write a journal or a diary. Obviously, in my own mind, I would like to think that I am not the only one that struggles with the issues I struggle with and just simply try to live life in and among the chaos of life and this world we live in. So far on my blog, I have been somewhat transparent about some things but I am hoping as time goes on I will be able to do that more. Not for the readers so much, but for me in my own healing of my past.

Also, as my faith and spiritual life are deconstructing and reconstructing with the new and amazing, I would love to share that kind of stuff too but fear will hold me back because I know some (most)  of my evangelical friends will not understand and think I am going bonkers. Yes, fear still has a hold on me in areas but I am learning that it takes time for some of this stuff to change in me.

Since this blog is still kind of new, I’m still not sure what I want of it and how I want it to evolve. I guess all I can do is be me and just continue writing the way I write and share as I see fit.

I love the last question: If sticking to certain topics and types of posts meant your readership would triple, would you do it? I would not do it if the topics did not define who I was. As much as I like numbers of who follows my blog (I think I am at 33…THANK YOU!) I don’t think I would be able to sacrifice me, my beliefs JUST for a bigger readership. I use this blog to work things out in my own mind too. My thinking is maybe someone else is there too.

As a summary, I don’t know where this blog will go. I don’t know what it will become and I don’t even know who it is for, really. I have it because I want to write and as I write I learn and as I learn I write ( sometimes ). I say sometimes because I have problems writing things I don’t totally understand because my words don’t come out very good. Since I write the way I think, it sounds all muddled and stuff. Maybe I will get the nerve to eventually share and write more of what I am learning right now, but for now, I will go on a day by day basis. Every once in a while an idea hits me for a blog post ( I write it in my book). This one is a prompt and it nudged me to think. I like that.

Hopefully, you can make your way through this and understand. If not, I’m sorry. My mind is muddled and guess what, it’s quite normal for me! I loves you!

Day 14: Why Am I Doing This Challenge?

One word: Discipline

It probably would have been even better with Accountability but I didn’t want guilt. “A writer should write every day.” That’s what you read everywhere. I don’t. Well, I do now and chances are, with this challenge, I will have the habit of writing daily. I kind of like the idea of a topic too but I don’t want to tie myself too much. Easy does it.

I am one of those many people out there that start something BUT tend not to finish. Intentions are good, but well, that’s all they are, intentions. Feb and March I did the Minimalism Game. The idea is to get rid of your possessions every day; the number based on the date. On the 1^st, get rid of one thing, on the 5^th get rid of 5 things…all the way to 28 and 31 (Feb and March). I did it! For April I wanted to keep the momentum going of doing something daily. This is what I chose. Not only is it good for discipline but it is good for so much more. See Day 13: “Why Do I Blog?”.

I have to say I am at a place in life that following a Challenge like this is something I actually want to do. I am finding some of the days harder than others. I can’t believe that I didn’t pick questions and topics that would be easy for me. LOL I am also finding that I am being more transparent in ways I wasn’t planning to. I had a plan NOT to be too open and yet as I write on some of the topics/questions I find that I almost have to share something I wasn’t planning because it is part of the answer and it just fits. I will continue on this path. 🙂

ADVICE: On another note….if your husband finally decides he is going to clean the top of his dresser…put aside a full afternoon for changing your bedroom around. While you are at it, when your son decides to do his laundry, don’t forget that you have to pay attention to when the cycle starts so you can turn the water off since it doesn’t do it on it’s own anymore ( well, sometimes it does). If you get distracted then because you are changing your room around (starting from the top of the dresser) you will come out and find water everywhere. BUT, you will be thankful because the water isn’t too dirty and the floor does look cleaner now, though you have tonnes of more laundry to clean because of all the towels and stuff you used to sop up the water. You are VERY welcome for the advice! ❤

Have a great day friends. It is Good Friday. I loves you.

Day 13: Why Do I Blog

Why do I blog? I started in 2007 or 2008. I actually don’t remember why I started blogging but I do remember why I stopped blogging. Facebook.

First of all, I was on it too much to even take time out to write. The times I did take time out I didn’t have anything to say or I would be drawn back in. I guess it isn’t Facebook (itself) fault as much as it was my fault and the way I saw, used and was affected by it.

I think in the beginning I just wanted to write and share. I have always liked writing and what a fine way to portray that; to act that out, than to have a blog. I never had a huge following but I thought what I had to say had some merit. In the years since I started one that whole merit thingy idea has fluctuated, depending on where I was in life and what was going on and where I was with my depression.

I never went longer than a few months without blogging but I definitely didn’t do much in the last few years. There was something almost therapeutic when I deleted my Laundry Queen Blog and started this one. It was like a new beginning to me. I am in a new and different place in life now so it seemed like a change was necessary PLUS my title came from all the laundry I had to do with our family of four, now I only do it for my husband and me. KA CHING! THAT is another perk of your kids growing up! 🙂

I call myself a writer because I write, not because of the way I write. I tend to compare myself to others and I see such professionalism in the way some people write. I write the way I talk and think. If I was to write down my thoughts, well, I guess I am. 🙂 These are the same words I think. Interestingly enough, my son writes the same way. I was I little concerned when we sent our homeschool facilitator his short story. I thought it was fantastic, quite outstanding actually. When we handed it in I was thinking of some writing projects I did in grade 12 that weren’t that well accepted because of the style. My teacher did comment though that I was a good writer with a good imagination (though, I haven’t done much writing in fiction since). Anyway, our facilitator loved my son’s story. He was thrilled.

I blog now because I love to write.

I blog now because the words are coming and I want to type them while I can and while they are there. I blog now because it brings me joy and makes me happy.

I blog now because this is the first time in years and years and years that I have felt this good and I want to take advantage of every moment that I have.

I blog now because I am doing something for me; something therapeutic that is bringing healing to my life and I know I still have a ways to go to complete healing, but in that process, I have found something that I had never had before and that is a piece of who Alexis truly is.

That is why I blog.

All the Glory goes to God ❤

Have a Terrific Thursday! I loves you!

Day 10: All About My Pets

I would love to share about my pets. We love them so much! They are definitely part of our family.

Snickles is the oldest. She is 16 years old and we actually call her Gramma sometimes. She is extremely grumpy and she bites; when she is really angry she will draw blood. She is a nasty girl but when she wants to get pet, she will allow you to pet her head and will act all sweet and stuff until you start petting her somewhere else. She is the ruler of the household. We got her when we moved into our last house. My oldest son was 4 and my youngest was 1. I dread the day that she dies.

Next oldest is Dukey. He is about 8 or 8 1/2. His previous owner was a breeder who had dementia and she ended up getting put in a home and she had several dogs. Duke was one of them. He was about 1 when we got him and he had never been out of a kennel. Needless to say, his one leg is a little deformed but it doesn’t hold him back. He thinks he is the leader of the household until Snickles hisses and then he knows he’s not….for now! He is great for letting us know when we have company; he is a barker ( he is also Momma’s boy).

Next, comes Massey. We haven’t had him for quite a year yet. He was 4 when we got him. He is a Bullmastiff. The reason he needed to be rehomed is because his previous owner’s found out that their child, who was one at the time, was allergic to him. They seem to have really loved him. He is a very nice mild mannered boy and does a few little tricks. He also likes to wander over to the bee farm across our street so we now have to tie him up. He is a great deterrent for would-be thieves. I don’t think he would be that mellow then. He has fit into our family pretty fine. The gentle giant.

Last, but certainly not least, is our Marti. She is about 8 months old and was a barn cat actually. Unfortunately, we had to rescue her because Massey seemed to not like kittens ( or was playing with her). She has been the joy of our winter. Wowsers! She is wild and she literally bounces off the walls. She is so much fun and is so hyper. She super bothers Snickels and Dukey. He and Massey do get along but under her terms. She is so much fun!

There you have it. We have had other pets and maybe one day I will share about our first dog, Gator. She was the apple of our eyes. Oh, how I miss her terribly still. She grew up with the boys and I would tell them that she was their older sister. LOL They don’t seem to be too damaged by it.  🙂

Feel free to share in the comments about your pets if you want. Have a wonderful day friends. It’s a dull, drab, cloudy and cool day here but Spring is springing and I am thrilled! On that note:

Do you know what happens when you allow yourself to be happy? You are truly happy. ( stay tuned for a full post on this!)

Toodles! I loves you!

Day 9: The Meaning Behind My Blog Name

Interestingly enough, someone asked me about that last week. I am afraid it isn’t a very interesting answer. The truth of the matter is that I have had this blog for approximately 4 years now but I have never blogged on it. I had been using Blogger for years and I actually just deleted it last week. I made the blog with WordPress around the same time I made a Tumblr account and they were both made with the intent of finding a way to deal with my depression through writing. Wordly Random was a name I chose because it gave me permission to write about anything I wanted. Random words. There is a psychology to it that obviously didn’t work for me otherwise I would have used it. lol I guess I found it hard switching over from Blogger plus I was a little intimidated with getting started and learning something new. Now that I look back, I see that I was majorly damaged in the fact that I wasn’t even able to write. Maybe what I had to say back then didn’t matter? I still don’t think what I have to say matters to anyone else. I do all my writing for me now and I give God all the glory. If anyone is blessed or just plain impressed by anything I have to share, that to me is a BONUS!  ♥

That is my story and I am sticking to it!

Happy Sunday! I loves you!