So, who's sending me orders, now? None other than SleepyJane. She's a sweetheart, and I recommend everyone visit her site. I'd ramble on more about how much she means to me, but I have a mission to complete.
So, I'm settled into my chair, pizza is in the oven (yay, pizza!), and I have a lovely cup of tea by my side, and my mission is to name five bloggers that have inspired me. I'm not a regular reader of many blogs, but even I have a list of more than five that are inspirational. I think I'll add the caveat that they have to be PERSONAL blogs, not something about politics or social issues or anything else external. It has to be about the person writing it. This type is more inspirational to me, anyway, even if I do tend towards activism and such.
Now, as far as two of these are concerned, they are practically defunct and haven't been updated in months. Still, they were inspirational to me and for that I still love them.
Without further ado, and in no particular order, here's my list:
The Lady Jax Raven - A friend outside of the internet world long before I had even heard of Diaryland, Jax was the person who convinced me to camp here and spill my guts to random, unseen strangers. Her honesty, compassion, and unshakable directness about who she is and what she believes in (even when she's unsure of that) made her my friend, first, and have inspired me since then to struggle to make my blog half of what hers is.
planet-maxx - He calls me Brother Justin, and I call him Brother Maxx. He's the first member of the male gender I met on Diaryland, but that is just another thing that makes him special. His heart alone would make for a very large planet, and his desire to do good in a confusing and grey world is very evident and, yes, inspiring. One day, I'll convince him to wear tights and fight crime alongside me. In the meantime, I'll just call him "friend," and "brother."
silentpoetry - A lovely poetess who can communicate the pain and joy of life much better than I ever could. She was one of the first to leave me a note after I started this expedition, and her sweet kindness has always been able to lighten even my darkest moods. I've never more than traded notes with her, but I still consider her a friend. It's a shame she left abruptly, and in a dark mood. I worry, but what can I do? Leave her to her "real life," I suppose. Still, she inspired me to be a better person, and inspired me to be a better writer, and she deserves to be placed on this list.
cerulean030 - The first person to have contacted me through Diaryland. I had never made an effort to read any other diaries other than Jax's until cerulean encouraged me to read hers. We're VERY different people, but underneath it all I realized we faced the same problems and struggles. Without her, I never would have seen quite so clearly the fact that one person's struggle is everyone's struggle. She's a kind and intelligent person, and despite our vast differences I see a LOT of myself in her.
And, finally,
Sleepy Jane - (Yes, I now have a chance to ramble on about her). She is yet another person who contacted me through my notes page, and what a sweetheart! English is her second language, and she's still a lovely writer. I've never left the United States, and haven't even visited half of them, yet. Still, when I read her diary, I feel like I know her life, even though in many ways it's nothing like mine. It's both a tribute to the connection between all people and a tribute to her skill in communicating her thoughts, emotions, hopes, dreams, and random everyday details of her life. Have I said, yet, that she's also a sweetheart? She's occasionally taught her readers how to curse in Afrikaans, which I'm finding highly amusing. Also, like silentpoetry, above, she gives me grand hopes and expectations for the generation after mine. Considering the schmucks I work with, I'm very happy to see the other side.
So, there you have it. My lovely list of inspirational bloggers.
I suppose this is where I tag others, but I'm not really in contact with bloggers beyond those already tagged, except defunct diaries and the Lady Jax Raven, who would probably consider this a command and she takes commands a little . . . strangely. It would all be better if I just closed with a different observation:
I noticed that my list is quite a diverse bunch, but I still feel deeply connected to all of them. No matter where we are or what our lives have been like, we still feel and love and all that sappy shit THE SAME WAY. Deep down, we're all just . . . "humans from the earth," as T-Bone Burnett once put it. That's some of the beauty of such a place as this, where we can all band together to help all of us through the struggles of . . . life.
I also think I've been doing a bit of a disservice to the process. I have never been the first to contact a blogger. I've always waited for them to contact me, and with rare exception I've never read a diary without being invited to do so. Somehow, despite the fact that it FLATTERS me, I'm always quite sure it will annoy someone else.
I'm a weird guy, huh?
Peace, kats and kittens. Hug someone ordinary, today. ;)