I've been seeing several celebrations by other blogs lately--five year anniversaries, one- and two-year milestones, so I thought I'd check to see how long I'd had this blog. I know I started blogging on Today.com first (and sometime in August, 2007), but I moved from there when my sister and so many others were locked out of their accounts when Today.com didn't like what they were saying.
But this is not an anniversary. It seems my first blog here was in April 23, 2009. So I've been blogging one year, four months, and 17 days. Wow! That is so not any kind of milestone! Fantastic!
Oh, and it's not like I've been blogging every day, either. In one month I only wrote six blogs, which comes out to about one blog every five days (see, I can do simple math). That's pretty awful! How much more mediocre can I possibly be?
And this proves something, and it's something I need to remind myself of every now and then: I do not have to be the best at something (or even really good at it) to have fun. I can write crappy poetry, and as long as I toss in a good one now and then (or at least one that rhymes) I can keep my sweet readers coming back. I can offer gardening/editing advice, and people take me seriously.
Now that I think about it, I'm pretty mediocre (and happy) in several facets of my life: I have written three unpublished novels, I play piano badly, my paintings are far from professional, my mom skills are questionable, my housecleaning...well...let's just say Merry Maids wouldn't hire me, I'm only an adjunct English teacher (even with a doctorate), and I still look a bit like I'm wrestling pigs in Zumba. But I'm happy. No gold medals, no sign of physical grace or exceptional talent, but I guess that doesn't really matter much to me.
Today, I embrace my mediocrity. And I embrace all of you (though that's really not comfortable through a laptop--oof!), and thank you for sticking around these last one year, four months and 17 days. You help make my life exceptional!
So, how about you? Anything you delight in being mediocre at? (Notice how I used a preposition at the end of that sentence? Cool, huh?)
As a perpetual jill of all trades, master of none, I can appreciate it. There is a great deal of satisfaction available in doing a particular task well or in using that broad perspective to do a task like no one else, even if you're not "an expert".
ReplyDeleteThe strive for perfection can make people crazy. A strive for happiness seems much healthier.
I don't mind being mediopcre at anything that doesn't pay me...
ReplyDeleteI, too, am over-educated, unemployed, and currently un-hirable.
ReplyDeleteSo, I get it. Don't feel mediocre, though. Generally, I feel superior.
Stephanie, I think not being great at something--and thus working to improve--is underrated. If we were all exceptional at whatever we wanted to be able to do, there'd be nothing to work at. We'd have talent and very little character...
ReplyDeleteJeff, I so hear you! I'm trying to separate my "hobbies" from my "professions." But I will likely never get paid to be a mom, yet that role is very important to me. The other stuff? Not a big deal.
The Mother, I feel your situation. I have way too much of the humility gene to feel superior, though. Then again, your genius is pretty undeniable, and your skill in your field--job or no job--is apparent from a single one of your blog entries.
mediocrity is much under valued, thanks for this celebratory post!
ReplyDelete