There's this blog that I've been reading for a couple years now. It's called A Cup of Jo and I've linked to it a few times from Dear Sabrina, including a couple days ago. While I don't love all the posts (I'm not particularly interested in beauty and fashion stuff, as you may have guessed already), I like that it's a little flash of goodness every day. Most of the posts make me happy in some small way. I've gotten some good book recommendations, film and TV recommendations, and seen a ton of beautiful homes. The posts I love most make me think about something I hadn't thought of before, or think about something in a new way.
A Cup of Jo as a whole covers a range of topics, and some of the posts are absolute gems. Some of the posts help me to learn how to be and do things in the world, things I maybe hadn't thought of. Some of the posts just make me think.
There's one post in particular that has always stuck with me, this one: How to Write a Condolence Note. It's a basic how-to guide for doing something incredibly difficult. It also helps teach how to be a better friend to someone enduring loss. It also helps to understand what it feels like for someone going through loss. It's both practical and touching. It's helpful and thoughtful. (And it's totally right-on, I can say in the aftermath of my father's recent death.)
Reading that blog almost every day for a couple years, and feeling the community vibe of it (she gets hundreds to thousands of comments on every post), made me want to put myself out there in a similar way. Write about the things I'm thinking about, discovering, reading, seeing, etc. Hear about what others are thinking about, reading, seeing, etc. Create a small community, a place where people can stop in for a few minutes during the day to pause, think, or laugh. I don't aspire to write what or how she does, but I'm inspired by her breadth and by her community.
So, thank you, Joanna Goddard!
Do you have any favorite bloggers? Any sites you check in with daily?
Oh, and you should know that it terrified me to get started with this thing, and that it's a small step in following my curiosity.
DSDAV
Your blog is very literary, with a sense of literary prose.