Wednesday, September 22, 2010

DONNING THE PRECIOUS MASK


I was perusing another thoughtful blog last night, when the blogger, Alessandra, posed a question on why it is that we feel so comfortable sharing intimate details to complete strangers over the net?  Realizing that this is not the first time this question has been asked, nor the last time it will, it was nonetheless an amazing question.  And one which I answered completely inadequately, I must admit.

Later last night, I got to thinking about her post and realized that I have a few people following me that know me to some form of degree or another, but that the majority of my wonderful followers wouldn’t know me from a hole in the ground, and I suppose that I kind of like it that way.  Did I purposely set up my blog persona as Average Girl because that way I could be anybody you meet on the street? Perhaps. To be honest, I wasn’t initially comfortable even using my first name, and I largely preferred to go by my pen name of Average Girl, as oppose to Tracy. Tracy just felt to “personal”.  Ironic, since I was the girl who told you how I let out the fart of a century while being in a public bathroom.

Alessandra went on to ponder whether blogging was a form of a mask that people felt comfortable taking off in front of complete strangers instead of ones they know all the while being safe behind their computer screens.  I thought about that long and hard, and for me, I feel completely the opposite. Like it is a mask I can put on at some funky cyberspace masquerade ball which allows me to be all that I really want to be and hope to be. In essence, the person that I have tucked neatly into a drawer in fear of judgments. And now, my computer has become a place where I can be invincible in the thoughts that pour out of my own leaky brain syndrome.  My blog has become as place where I can strip myself raw in front of you in  the form of my words and where you can really get to know me, but where my face in public would blend in with all others, and I would just be your every day average girl you would pass on the street. 

In reality, I really am a no holds bar kind of girl, but only with those I have felt safe with.  Here, you can’t see me, but most importantly, I cannot see your reaction when I talk about my better half’s butt rumblings, or the fact that my butt has dropped giving me a serious case of the wedgies, or how I have become the hairy woman of Borneo. I cannot see whether I touched you, or made you smile, but mostly, I cannot see whether you are disappointed.  Because, I am a people pleaser unfortunately.  And while I have tried, I cannot change that flaw of myself.

So why is it that I share so much with so many who have never met me?  Well the answer really is for Alessandra who posed the question: It’s my place to escape, it’s my place to find solace, it’s my place to throw out my dreams and desires and connect with others who feel the same way, it’s my place to throw away my fears and say what is on my mind without the judgment from those who know me, it’s where I can be me, the complete and real me.  It’s just about being me.


So now I pose the question to you, why are your blogging?

Until Next Time.
Smooches Pooches

9 comments:

  1. well I like you being you... so keep up being you, because being you, makes my day a better place!

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  2. I blog to compare myself to you! Ha... I don't why I do the things I do. Do you?

    If I really have to leave a reason it's this: It drives my husband nuts that I can find something to talk about with people who don't even know me ~ instead of sitting in the living room with him watching old western movies that he's seen 15,000 times already... and if I do sit and watch it with him ~ he's going to tell me what happens! so... long story short... he watches tv and I go on the computer

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  3. Well, you have me thinking. I guess, because it does matter to me if I have followers, I want to find those people who accept my thoughts as interesting enough to keep track of me. I love positive comments. It makes me feel good to know there are strangers out there who accept me as I am, and are sort of like far away friends. I don't need a lot of them, but I do need more than I have at the moment, ha ha. My blog basically bounces around between present and past with my life and everything attached. Am starting to remember things I haven't thought about for decades, and having a lot of fun with that. It's my legacy for whatever that is worth, and I'll keep blogging until I get bored with it all. And you...whether you are having a good day or a bad day, you never disappoint.

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  4. That's it, Tracy! Blogging is an escape, a place of encouragement, a place to interact and learn about other people, an expression of oneself. I have learned a lot here!

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  5. I completely agree! There is great freedom in knowing I can walk down the street and there probably isn't one person I see who reads my blog. It is my place to work out the emotions in my life. Good or bad, doesn't matter because if someone I don't know judges then so be it, but if a person looks me in the eye and says something negative I might break. One day that will not be the case because I will have worked out who I am and how much I matter within the safety of my blog. Thank you for the great post!

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  6. Well, thank you for thinking my blog was thoughtful for once, I know I can get pretty whiny with the job thing.
    I guess I should answer my own question as to why I blog, and I think, for the most part, I agree with what you said, it's a place to be me, without worrying about what others think. However, that brings up another question: if you're the complete and real you when you're blogging, who are you when you're not?

    In other words, which masks do you put on when you're not blogging and why? Btw, since we're all on this reality kick, I go by 'Alex' because my name is kinda long, and most people can't spell it right.
    Till next time...:)

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  7. Why do I blog? It started as a way for me to document our lives since we moved to California this year. I have added some meme's to my blog that are unrelated to CA living, but it's fun and still documents my thoughts during this time.

    I like connecting with people online. There are only so many in person relationships that I can have in one day but add the internet, and I feel more connected to people via their blog and mine. I love reading other people's blogs, it often makes me feel normal. I also get alot of inspiration and ideas from others. And I admit it, there is somthing super exciting in the thought that complete strangers read what I write and seem to enjoy it.

    I also have plastered my name and my face all over my blog. Instead of blending in with the crowd, I think it would awesome to be spotted and recognized especially since I know a few of my followers live in my general area. I feel really close to some of my followers, and wouldn't mind having coffee with them and chatting face to face.

    Okay-I'm done with my two cents. Thanks for asking the question-I could contiue on with my answer, but I think we all get the point. Have a good night!

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  8. Hi Tracy,

    I just happened to see a comment that you made on a friend's blog a while back, and read about your struggles with your health. Looks like you and I are very much in the same boat. It's kind of amazing how much..... but that's not what this post is about.

    I was even more intrigued when I saw the subject of today's post. I'm really new to blogging - only a month and a half to date - and I've been asking myself the exact question that Alex posed to you... Why? At the moment, I'd have to say that I'm somewhere in between your answer and Cortney's.

    Some days I feel content just blogging for "me" and I don't worry about how many hits my blog has received. Then, on other days I find that I get really disappointed when I see that I still only have 4 followers. I surprise myself by how much deeply personal information I share sometimes, yet I have pictures of myself and my family all over my blog. I guess that I do know one thing for sure.... So far, it's been a real rollercoaster ride, but it's one that I find I'm having fun riding over and over each day.

    I'm glad that I stumbled upon your comment on my friend's blog tonight. It seems that your post was something that I needed to help me put things just that much more into perspective. I really don't know where my blog will go, or if it will go at all, but I plan to enjoy the journey while I find out.

    Thanks! It's nice to "meet" you.

    Martha from "A Real (Upstate) NY Housewife"

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  9. You've inspired me to write an actual post about this rather than just answer your question. Thanks for asking it..and for starting that conversation. It's interesting to hear all the reasons why others blog...and I love your new banner at the top of your page. Especially my favorite Sunflower photo sticking out like that. It looks fantastic! Stay tuned for my response to this question.

    http://cinderitaadventures.blogspot.com/

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