Goodbye Mr. Williams

I was so very sad Monday night to hear of the death of Robin Williams.  It was only after I had published my anniversary post that night that I went surfing around online and saw the news.  I wouldn’t have had the heart to finish that post if I had found out before.  I rarely shed a tear for celebrity news which can be so full of drama but, when I found out about his death due to suicide, I cried like a baby.  My eyes are welling up just thinking about it.

My introduction to this great entertainer came when he showed up on my television in Mork and Mindy when I was eight years old.  Yes, I’m aging myself here.  He has been making me laugh ever since.  He was obviously a soul in torment, though, who camouflaged this with laughter. 

Depression lies, telling you that you are all alone, and it is so persuasive that it manages to get its claws into its victims to the point where this is all that they can see.  Sadly, he lost his fight with this beast leaving his family, friends and millions of fans to mourn his loss.

His magic will live on though in his movies, interviews and taped performances.  His work was his gift to us and, from what I have heard of him, this was a gift that he truly loved giving.  I have heard so many stories this week of his kindness and generosity which have touched my heart and left me even more saddened by his end.  

Mr. Williams, I hope that, wherever you are, you have found the peace that you couldn’t find in this life.

Thank you for the laughs

Love, 

Kathy

xo

It's been five years!

August 11, 2009 

This is the date when I published my first blog post (here) five years ago.  I am, by nature, fairly shy and self-depreciating - not at all confident in my own writing abilities – so hitting that “publish” button took so much courage.   

I agonized for weeks over whether or not to jump into the blogging world that I had discovered through Twitter.  I “met” so many great people there, many of whom I am still in touch with, and discovered the world of blogging through them.   Even after all of my agonizing, I still held my breath when I sent that first post into cyberspace.  Amazingly enough, the universe didn’t explode when my words went out. 

I love this form of expression where regular people like me can talk about life, love, family, current events and engage with each other.  I have witnessed people laughing together, crying together and showing so much support for one another.  Yes, there is the occasional troll who loves nothing better than to throw some nastiness around but the good people far outnumber them.   So far (knock on wood) I’ve been pretty lucky that I haven’t had any troll experiences here. 

It is in this community where I have learned a lot about myself.  I really do have a lot to say and there are others who feel same as I do.  I am not alone.  I have also learned not to jump to judgment.  We all have our own reality and are doing what we feel is best for our own families.  I now think twice (sometimes three times) before I say that somebody else is wrong and, more often than not, give the benefit of the doubt. 

I do need to work on consistency though.  I post anywhere from one to three times in a week; basically whenever the mood strikes or when I find a prompt from a link-up that hits me the right way.  Ideally, I’d like to post at least twice a week but, when I try to force it, my brain goes completely blank and I can’t come up with anything interesting.   I seem to be a bit of a free spirit, going with the flow, when it comes to blogging.  When I stop to think about it, I suppose that’s not really such a bad thing.   

My audience has grown over the last five years but is still pretty small compared to many of the blogs that I visit.  I’m really okay with that since the thought of hundreds or (gasp!) thousands of people reading my words makes me hyperventilate a bit.  Talk about pressure!  I have huge respect for the Scary Mommy’s and The Blogesses of the blogging community for being able to put themselves “out there” for their vast audiences the way that they do.  My confidence has grown but I still have a long way to go…. 

For those of you who come by at least somewhat regularly, you may have noticed that I recently started signing off my posts as "Kathy" instead of "Kat".  This was explained in my last post

"In the beginning I felt a need for privacy and creating an "online name" seemed fitting but, these days, it's not feeling authentic so I've started signing off my posts with Kathy instead"

I've made the decision to take that one step further and actually change my blog name to use my full name now as well.  It just feels more "me", more authentic.

I don’t know where I’ll be in another five years but I do know that I would like to be here celebrating my ten year blogging anniversary with you, my bloggy friends. 

Kathy

I've been nominated!!

I decided to give myself a three-day weekend this past weekend - just because.  I slept in and then sat down at my computer with my tea and a big bowl of cereal to surf around and catch up on some of my favourite bloggers.  Imagine my surprise when I landed on Angela's blog, Time with A & N, and saw that she had nominated my little blog for a Liebster Award!  In order to accept, I need to answer the eleven questions below and, in turn, nominate ten more bloggers who keep me entertained and informed.  I think that I can manage that.

1.  What's the inspiration behind the title of your blog?
I wanted my blog's title to reflect its content which is basically whatever happens to be going on around me in my own little world.  I talk about a variety of things including what I'm cooking, reading, thinking about and have opinions on so the title seems fitting.  I am, however, considering changing it to A Day in the life of Kathy though.  In the beginning I felt a need for privacy and creating an "online name" seemed fitting but, these days, it's not feeling authentic so I've started signing off my posts with Kathy instead.

2. What did you hope to be when you grew up?
I must admit that I never did have any solid plan.  Some people just "know" what they want to be - a cop, a fireman, an archeologist, a teacher, etc. but I never did have any clear path.  I kind of just fell into my current job (payroll) because I'm good with numbers but sometimes I still get the feeling that I still need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

3. What kind of animal best represents you/your family?
That really depends on the day.  Sometimes it's the sloth because no matter my best intentions, I just don't seem to get anywhere.  Other days it's a jackrabbit because I end up hopping from one thing to the next without stopping.

4. Why did you start your blog?
I've always loved the thought of writing but never could keep up a personal journal.  When I joined Twitter and starting finding all of these bloggers who talked about things that I too was going through and started building relationships with them, I knew that I had found my tribe.  Writing for myself wasn't motivating for me; it was the relationship with others that I needed in my life.

5.  Name one item near the top of your bucket list.
I want to write.  Not just here on this blog but fiction.  I started up a fiction blog recently and have put up a few posts (working on another one now).  I don't know if I'll ever be good enough to actually publish something - you know, for money - but I want to be good enough to make myself proud.  Isn't that what it's all about?

6.  Describe your ideal summer evening.
Time spent on a deck with good friends, good food, good wine and plenty of laughter.

7.  Who inspires you the most outside of your family?
I wish that I had a great answer to this one.  Perhaps a magnificent author, actor, politician, sports hero…. but I'm drawing a complete blank.  I'm a bit of a loser on this one.

8.  Finish this sentence:  After a long day, it makes me happiest to….
……come home.  My home isn't anything fancy but it's where I'm happiest.  This is where I have all of the creature comforts that relax me after a long day at work.  Also, my kids are there too and that's where my heart lies.

9.  If you could have any super hero power, what would it be?  Why?
The power to heal.  I have nerve damage down my leg from when I was pregnant with my daughter and ended up with a herniated disk in my back.  It would be nice to be normal again - or as normal as I've ever been anyway  ;)

10.  Why do you write about what you write about?
Thie blog is about my live - the things that I do, read, cook, think about.  Who is more of an expert about these things than me?  I've been fortunate enough to find bloggy friends along the way who are happy to hear my story and share theirs; that makes this all worthwhile.

11.  What is your favourite season and why?
Hands down, autumn!  The colours, the cool crisp air, pumpkin chai, Halloween, the return of comfort foods like soup and slow cooker roasts after the hot summer months….. I could go on and on.

Now, time for my nominations.  These are bloggy friends who make me smile; some I've known for a while, some are newer finds.  To accept this nomination, my friends, you just need to answer the eleven questions and nominate some of your favourite bloggers.  Please make sure you give me the link to your post so that I can enjoy your answers!  Just so you know, Angela would be on this list if she didn't already have this award ;)

This & That As I Bounce Thru Life
Betsy's Random Assortment of Thoughts
The Animated Woman
Mama's Losin' It  (host of Thursday's Writer's Workshop)
Can I Get Another Bottle of Whine….
The online world of Julie DeNeen
People I Want to Punch in the Throat
Domain of the Mad Mommy
Janine's Confessions of a Mommyaholic
Choice Morsels


Kathy