Honoring a Promise
September 28th, 2008
I am a meme-killer. I tag people who are offended or don’t respond, even though I was flattered and honored to be tagged. I still carry shame that I was nominated on the always entertaining blog, From Stage Dives to Station Wagons, in August as a blogger that kicks ass and because it happened while I was on vacation followed by weeks and months of my husband (and tech support) being immersed in career transitions, I never managed to get the badge posted to my own blog.
But it’s funnny, the dimension added to a friendship when you both have blogs. When I moved to Oregon my friendship with Jenny had to be done mostly by phone, and then she started blogging and leaving comments on my blog , which, while it doesn’t replace the phone, allows us to slow down and be more thoughtful, sustaining conversations over weeks. So I am, I guess, more protective of her blog than of my own. And this morning when I woke to check Jenny’s blog and saw that she is playing this “Paying it Forward” game, I was inspired and excited for her, and a little anxious that she get the comment love that all bloggers depend upon. She loved (as do I) the description of how and why to do the game posted by Tuscon Cowgirl:
The point of this is not to encourage a form of blog chain letter, but to create momentum on doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and pay it forward.
I have agreed to send something nice to the first 3 bloggers who post a comment on this entry. I’m assuming that “something nice” can be a token of some sort that will make someone smile and hold some form of positive meaning. In turn, those “first three commenters” who respond to my post will honor the pay it forward concept to the first 3 people who post on their blog… and so on. Please note my little pay it forward needs to be mailed (it is a token, honest), I can only pay it forward within the United States. So if you’re interested in participating in this, be one of the first three to leave a comment. Please remember that if you agree to pay it forward, you need to post this acknowledgment on your blog, link to me, and pay it forward to three more people.
In this past week of economic disarray, political mean-spiritness and shifting priorities, I believe a reaching out to extend a friendly gesture is worthwhile. The world seems to be rocking on its foundation in so many ways, I hope little things like this can help.
I checked in on Jenny’s blog all day hoping three people would already have gotten themselves whatever cool thing she would have to send on, (seriously? I’ve seen her make the most amazing charms!) but thinking how I could not possibly take on the responsibility for sending out three tokens to three commenters of my own. I am overwhelmed, tired, have three family birthdays in the next two weeks, my husband has been working extreme hours and I cry thinking about undone laundry. Not only that, but I am a meme-killer, and this is a lovely blog-game-meme that deserves loving attention.
But the thing is, Jenny is committing to doing this while dealing with her fourth daughter, a newborn who doesn’t like sharing her mother with her three older sisters during those crucial evening hours when family life is most hectic, while dealing with a child who is having a rough transition into kindergarten, while her husband is sucked by school and work into spending fewer hours at home than he has since before they had two children. And if she can find a way to reach out, maybe it’s because that’s one of the secrets of the universe, when you feel most helpless and unable to, that’s when reaching out makes the biggest difference.
So I am in. Be one of the first three bloggers to leave a comment, and I’ll send you a token.
September 28th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
because I am also a meme-killer, I will take you up on your offer. mine will have to be a creative pay-forward though given my blog’s lack of comments. I’ll come up with something.
everything you’ve written this month is so true and JUST my experience, only more musical and philosophical, and I only wish I had time to give each post its comment due.
September 29th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
HA-HA, YOU ALREADY DID.
http://theunreliablenarrator.net/2008/09/29/she-knit-me-stripy-socks/
(Plus I still need to interview someone for the Great Interview Project, so can that be my pay-it-forward? Oops….)
October 2nd, 2008 at 8:54 pm
well my friend, we are both hopelessly co-dependent. You want to see me getting comments and I want to make sure it’s not too difficult for you to fulfill your obligation (which of course you wouldn’t even have if you hadn’t felt compelled to comment on my ‘paying it forward’ blog in the first place, so clearly I’m responsible. Is this going to become one of those deals where we start writing each other thank you notes for the thank you note?) Crazy as this may seem, though, I actually want to play again (may as well make 6 tokens if I’m making three) with the art & soul crowd. (yikes! do I really want to risk putting myself out there like that without my safety net?) Anyway, a little co-dependence is what makes the world bearable some days, and besides, now I know you already have an awesome token of friendship planned for me so it’s two down and one to go. Hurray for co-dependence!