Flash Mob Tears

Why do flash mob videos, which seem to be a trend as of late, make me cry? Every.Single.Time. Even the ones that aren't "touching" for any reason in particular. I just start to tear up over and over again.


One of my friends posted one on Facebook today, which is where they seem to be cropping up lately. It didn't involve singing or incorporating the crowd, but even so it touched me.

So, what is it about this whole flash mob crazy that reduces me to a little girly man?

I think it's just that the news and media are often full of images of violence and destruction. You hear every day about human beings treating each other less than humanely. Whether it be at school, in the grocery store, or in our places of business, it seems people have somehow lost their compassion for their fellow man. Many days, I'm left wondering what this world is going to look like twenty years from now if we can't seem to be polite and friendly on a daily basis TODAY.

I think people nowadays don't engage as much with others, despite the increase in social media. It's like we are almost afraid to step out of our comfort zones, behind our computer screens, and really notice others in our environments. I don't mean our friends and family, I mean people working in stores and restaurants, strangers on the street, fellow grocery shoppers. It's easy to be jovial and friendly over the net, but what about face to face with the cashier bagging your food?

As we all go about our daily lives, we kind of keep our heads down and do our errands single mindedly. We worry about another's motives if they seem chatty with us, we fear we will be asked to reveal more than we wish, or that prying will ensue. Worse still, are we all just "too busy" and "pressed for time" that we don't even have that second to look into someone's eyes and make thirty seconds of small talk?

Enter the flash mob. People gather around, giving up whatever task they were so hurriedly doing, to watch and smile. They engage with others around them in awe at what they're witnessing. They enjoy a human connection that involves our most primal core entertainment of singing and dancing. It just seems for that brief moment in time that people let down their guard and just feel..........happy. How often do we do that in a crowd of others?

The negativity in the world can feel overwhelming at times. The flash mob, to me, is an example of how at the bottom of it all, we just need to gather together, hold hands and sing Kumbaya.

Well, and maybe let our backbones slide a little too!

Bloggy Stewing

I've been avoiding my blog the last few days, mostly because I'm stewing on something and I'm not sure how to put it into words. Heck, I don't even know if stewing is the right word.

Basically, Twitter is chock o'block full of bloggers. It seems everyone and their dog on there has a blog or wants to blog for someone else. There are giveaways galore and links to follow.

I'm new to Twitter, and when I decided to jump right in, I also started reading a bunch of blogs that interested me. While doing so, and coupled with tweets, I noticed many "Mom" sites asking for blog contributors. As I'm finally opening myself and my blog up to the world at large, I figured it might be a good time to get out there and throw my hat in a few rings.

However, I couldn't help but be kind of perplexed by it all. Part of that confusion comes from the fact that I'm really conscious of remaining true to who I am and my writing voice. The other part is, how can you get your voice out there if no one will give you the chance to do so?

Let me explain.

Many of these "Mom" sites want bloggers to write for them that have a large following. Now, I get that. They want people that can drive traffic and create buzz. Fair enough. I don't think that means you should rule someone out though that doesn't have that readership-yet. I know for me, I kept this blog private. I didn't want creepers following me or reading all about my business. You hear a lot of scary stuff on the net, and I was very leery of taking that chance. I kept my followers to my friends and family. Now, this is seemingly coming to bite me in the butt.

Here's the deal though, and basically what I've pitched, because it's what I'd like to be judged for anyways. I've asked that blogger employers just read my blog. If they don't like what I have to say or how I say it-fair enough. I just don't want to be written off because of a decision I made regarding security. Shouldn't they most be concerned by what and how I write above all else, anyways? I mean, sure, you could get a ton of people reading something hugely controversial but if you write horribly, does the message get lost in translation? It does for me. I have read many a blog (especially recently) where the topic is interesting, but I stop reading because of the grammar or spelling.

I think if anyone read through my blog from the beginning, well, they'd see I'm not afraid to say what's on my mind and I don't shy away from the tough topics. I'm no wallflower and I'm (unfortunately at times) very outspoken.

The other issue is, do I WANT my blog becoming full of ads and reviews and me trying to sell something or other to my followers? I can answer this one easily and honestly. Hell to the no. That's just not me. I'll tell you if I like a product, or if I got a great service. I have absolutely no issue with that. I'm NOT going to shamelessly promote something that I don't endorse, haven't tried, or don't believe in. Not gonna happen.

What it boils down to is what I've been keeping as my goal all along. That being the writing. I write because I love it. I write because I have a lot to say. If others want to hear that, fantastic. If a dialogue can come out of something that I've provoked? Even better. If someone likes my voice and wants me to bring that to their table-I'm in. I have to remain who I am and what I'm about, though. I'd love to have a ton of followers and to have people enjoying what I write-of course I would! I can't change who I am to get there, or I guess "won't" is more applicable.

So, I've avoided my blog as I've been kind of down thinking about all of this and what it means in terms of my writing goals and dreams. The blogs I love to read are the ones that are real, where the person puts it all out there and amazes me with their openness. I'm putting it out there. It may close even more doors for me.

I'm hoping that maybe it will open the ones I WANT to walk through, instead.