Wednesday, August 24, 2005

Me on Myself

If you were to meet me out in public somewhere, you would never know that I am the persona behind Tangled Weblog. I tend to have a big (but polite, I hope) mouth on my blog (and on the blogs where I leave comments), but in the “real world” I am nothing of the sort. (Well, I’m polite, but not a big mouth.)(I do use a lot of parenthetical comments in verbal conversation as well, but probably not as many as I use here.) I do not go about proclaiming my opinions unless I’m with very close friends and family.

I am not good around large groups of people or even small groups of people I don’t know. If I were to be invited to a function where I wouldn’t know anyone, and Husband couldn’t go, I wouldn’t go. A friend of Husband’s invited us over for a July 4th cookout. There must have been a hundred people there, and I knew no one save a couple of ladies that I had briefly met several years ago. I felt weird and was glad when we left.

I’ll bet that people who meet me for the first time think that I’m stuck up, but really, I just have a hard time knowing what to say to people that I don’t know. It’s really difficult to establish common ground. I don’t want to talk about myself—that would be rude. But if I ask questions about the person, he or she might think I’m being nosy. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, but it seems like it sometimes. I will say that as I have gotten older, I have become a little more outgoing and will talk to strangers, but that’s usually in the line at Wal-Mart when I know I’ll never see that person again.

That’s why this blogging experience has been very interesting. When I began this blog, I had no idea what I’d talk about. I had been reading a few blogs and had left a couple of anonymous comments, and one day without giving it a lot of thought, I just started a blog. And I offered some opinions. To my great surprise, people began reading it and leaving nice comments, and they kept coming back, and I consider them to be my friends. What’s been really cool is that I met up with some Nashville bloggers by pure chance, and we share some similar views on things. I’ve met some cool people from other places as well, and I’ve learned a lot, too. (Have y’all created mental images of your blogging friends that haven’t posted their photo in their profile?)

If we were to meet standing in line at the Wal-Mart, we might speak (complaining about the fact that there are 40 checkouts, but only 6 of them are open), but that would probably be it. We might never become friends if we had met out in the real world.

I’m just going to sort of trail off here now without really summing up my thoughts, because, mainly, I’m still thinking about it all (and because I have to go finish painting the kitchen).

4 comments:

Tony Arnold said...

We have made a new group of friends haven't we? I tend to be more more reserved and diligent in my thoughts in blog land than in the real world. Some say I have a big mouth. The opportunity to reveiw and edit my thoughts prior to spouting off is great for me in blog land.

Just a few short months ago, we did not know each other, now we share a blog together as well as our own blogs. Pretty cool.

Tony

jettybetty said...

I started blogging a year ago, because 2 of my kids did, and I want to *relate* to them--and I thought it might be nice to journal my thoughts of the *empty* nest.

I did not expect to make a bunch of new friends--but I have really enjoyed it!

I really think I am pretty much the same on and off my blog--I have no idea what anyone else would say!!!

I am so glad you are blogging! Your blog has been such a blessing to me!

Does school start next week??

JB

JMG said...

I feel the same about your blog, JB! You are always so positive.

The first day of school is Monday, but I have meetings today and tomorrow.

Little Light said...

I think I'm the same way - more vocal and opinionated in the written word. And I write and speak parenthetically too.

Aside from living in NYC where even the shyest of us are forced to be more assertive, I often don't have a choice but to go places by myself unless I want to stay at home all the time. So socializing has become easier simply because I've been forced into it.

I do admit though, that it kind of bugs me when people hide behind their spouse because even if I know they're shy, I am too and I don't always want to be the one who has to do the reaching out.