Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Be you


As a blogger, I've always wanted to be more like my dear sweet friend, Kim.


And it's no wonder...

No matter what may be going on in her life, she always manages to see beauty in her everyday world.


She snaps gorgeous pictures.

She writes beautiful words.

And you read and see these wonderful creations of hers and not only do you feel like you know her, but you also feel like the world is a comfy cozy place where there is no pain or sorrow.

Just beauty.


The reason behind this is that she's writing from her heart and being her own sweet self.

But the thing is...

even if I tried to be more like her,

and as much as I did try in the beginning, all those years ago,

I know that I'll never have her eye for photography or her way of using the written word.


Basically...

I can't be her, because I'm not her.

And that's okay, because...

I have my own way of seeing things through a lens and I have my own way of wording what I want to say.

I may not always give you the warm and fuzzies and God knows, my blog will never be perfect, far from it, but it will always be 

all 

me.


Which leads me to the point I'm trying to make.

Be you.


If you don't want to be just another person in this boring world of perfection that Blogland has become.

Just

be

you.

If you want to show everyone a roadrunner that you spied in your tree.

Post it.


If you want to share a moment in time, but the house is a bit messy, because your pups have just left their cozy chairs.

Post it anyway.


Or not.

You don't have to do anything I tell you to do.

I'm not the authority on anything except my own life.

And sometimes I question that ;)



But I will say this...

I would rather read about things that interest you, than what you think I want to read.

Unless you want to be the blog that shows people how to boil an egg.



What? 

You haven't seen this?

I kid you not, there are blog posts about it.

I know, because I clicked on one of them recently, thinking maybe it was written with humor.

It wasn't.

Now, I get that there may be some people that don't know how to boil an egg and although that scares me on some level, I'm assuming that the people that are trying to learn how to do this common culinary feat, have heard of google.

And maybe I'm wrong (it wouldn't be the first time) and these women are really passionate about teaching people how to boil an egg, but my guess is that they're trying to compete with all the how-to blogs out there.

And they couldn't think of anything else.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Now don't get me wrong...

I love a good how-to, just as much as the next person.

but when there's no personality behind it, I might as well be reading an owners manual on how to run a lawn mower.

My apologies if you find that stuff fascinating.

I don't.

My other friend, Kim is a great example of how to put personality into how-to posts.

After all, she makes me think about making beautiful wreaths, like she does, until I remember that I don't craft.

Come to think of it, maybe I would read about how to run a lawnmower if she wrote it. 

That's a good tutorialist right there ;)

Yes, I just made up that word.

I have many other friends that have the ability to inspire me as well.

Just look at my sidebar and you'll see all sorts of bloggers that will inspire you to do all sorts of things you didn't think you wanted to do.

;)

Anyway, back to the eggs....

(I know, I know, but stick with me.)

Another friend, Benita posted about boiling eggs, but it was funny because the eggs exploded all over her kitchen.

She wrote it in self deprecating humor and it was great, because she was being her hilarious self.

Not to say that anyone has to be funny or beautiful or anything in particular, but I do think that you need to be you and not another person showing people how to do the same damn thing over and over.

It's boring.

There.

 I said it.

You know what's not boring?

Say it with me...

Being

YOU.

So, if you're dying to post a tutorial on boiling an egg..

go for it!

Own that egg boiling post.

But be you.

People will read just about anything if it comes from your heart.

It's true!

You know how I know?

 Because you just read this whole post ;)


Now see...

Kim would never write something that snarky, 

but someone has to and it might as well be

me.

;)

xo
rue



49 comments:

  1. Beautifully written. Thank you! LMAO

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  2. Thank you Rue........you made my day!!! And you've inspired me to go back to my love of writing and for the record I hate hard boiled eggs!
    Have a full day dear friend!
    Lois

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  3. Rue, I am actually blushing right now. :) Thank you my sweet friend. xo

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  4. Hi Rue, Love this post!! Wow!! boiling eggs~~~ really??? Well this may help someone with Easter coming up. haha!! Take care sweet friend and Happy Spring!! xo

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  5. And all this time I thought your blog was perfect, Rue. ;) teehee Well, it is perfect, because it's totally you and that makes it so. Heck, if I saw a roadrunner in a tree like yours, you can bet I'd post it. I'd post a roadrunner even if it wasn't in a tree. Last December I posted a photo of my studio in utter chaos. I mean it was a dis-as-TER. And actually, I felt really good about it. I'll leave the perfect homes dressed to the nines to others who do it so much better than I do. I appreciate all the work they must go through to get it that way. (Why do you think once a week I post OTHER people's homes? LOL) I took a break from blogging last summer and found out that there's actually a life outside of my computer. Imagine that! It's given me a whole new perspective on blogging. For me, it's about relationships. Kim @ Exquisitely Unremarkable is a blog I never miss. She's become a good friend, too. Yours is another blog I look forward to reading. Your flower photos are making me crazy. I want so badly for the weather to improve so I can get out in the garden. Have a great rest of the week, my friend. Loved this post! xo ~ Nancy

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  6. I truly, truly wish more bloggers would just be themselves, ditch perfection, and get out of the "every bit of decor must be white or chippy" phase they've long been in. I just write about my very ordinary life. And that's what I want to read from others. Their own UNIQUE life. I like your take on it, my friend!
    Brenda

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  7. One thing for sure...nobody can ever say you don't post about things that interest you. I love your blog because of that. My own blog is about what interests me and that is ordinary, every day life! Great post!

    Grace & Peace,
    Pam

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  8. So well said! The blogs I really love and read on a regular basis are from REAL people. Not those whose lives are 'perfect' and homes are always photo ready. I don't live like that and refuse to pretend I do. Being me is what my blog is all about.

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  9. Ha! I love the real deal, too and you, my friend, are the real deal! (:

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  10. Lol! You're nuts, but I love you anyway ;)

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  11. Love this post. Blogging has sure changed over the years, but my favorite bloggers are those that haven't changed --- those that blog from their hearts and not from their pocketbook. Sally

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  12. I am always me on my blog and in life. At 65 (almost) I have leaned long ago that just being me nad not a pretender is much better.

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  13. I LOVE this! So well said. I used to get caught up a little in comparing my blog posts to others but I got over that. After all, comparison is the thief of joy and I would rather have joy! I can't imagine the stress some bloggers must be under to constantly put out content that attracts the masses. They are constantly trying to improve their already near perfect homes and so on just to gain more readers/followers. They don't connect with them on a personal level either. I guess it's all for money. I blog about what I love and enjoy and people who like me will read my little blog. As for anyone else...oh well. They can take it or leave it. You'll never find me giving an egg boiling tutorial. Good grief...lol! Have a happy Wednesday!

    Hugs, Vicky

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  14. Love your post today and I like hard boiled eggs!

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  15. I've been reading blogs for the past 5 yrs, starting with PW, for her recipes. She had guest bloggers writing posts and starting reading their blogs and there you go. I enjoy reading any type of blogs, what keeps me coming back is the blogger herself and her writing. I'm still amazed that you all put yourselves out there in blogland.
    Rue, I don't mind seeing dog blankets on your chairs, beds and blankets on my couch for our little dogs:).
    Have a nice evening, rain and cooler weather is on its way from Cali,
    Kathleen in Az

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    1. I read all sorts of blogs too, but when I don't see any personality I click out. I have a blogging friend that just shows videos and things like that, but I 'read' her blog, because it's funny and heartwarming.

      Anyway, yes... the cold air is here! But, apparently it won't be here long. No snow to speak of though :)

      xo

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  16. Love how you invented a word: tutorialist. You're so witty!

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  17. Dear Daisy Cottage was one of the first blogs I ever read!

    I read where people have a schedule for their posts and know what they are going to write about weeks in advance. I have no schedule and only post when I have seen or done something I want to share. I consider myself blessed that anyone actually wants to read my blog and look at my photos.

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  18. It can take people a long time to get to the point that they want to be them. I'm glad I'm there! I would never want to be anyone else. As for my blog, I definitely strive to be different. I know exactly what you mean about some of these how-to posts. I regularly take breaks from the blog just so I'm not posting about something meaningless like boiling an egg. Not that that person's post is meaningless, but like you said, there's google for boiling an egg. It can be hard to stand out in this ever-growing pool of bloggers, but that's the dream, right? :-)

    I hope you are having a good week Rue!

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  19. You just hit the nail on the head. It seems so many blogs are the same old thing-even though it's pretty. That's why I love coming over here-you are real. When I don't worry about posts and how often and how many comments it just makes blogging more fun. Although I do love the comments. Thanks for this post, dear Rue.By the way I love your home (I think I've said that before)

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  20. Hey I just did a post on the new jammies I bought, lol. That was me being me.

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  21. I loved seeing your kitchen sink closeup and its window view! That is always such an important place to make all your own. I think someday bloggers should appoint a certain day of the year Kitchen Sink View Day and show us theirs.

    Thank you for today's theme. We all get sidetracked sometimes because we see a blogger's style that we fall in love with. It's something like when I'm around a certain friend who has the most delightful Souther accent, after a few hours I want to talk like her. Or being around a friend from England I wish I had her accent. We try on different styles of blogging too, I guess, but after a while find our own. And our own sometimes changes as our mood changes.

    I love the authenticity I find in Rue of An Old-Fashioned World, bravo!

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  22. Rue, I just love you! I love that you say all of the things we are thinking! I've seen tutorial blog posts on how to boil eggs...do I read them, nope, obviously not, since there is egg all over the kitchen...and it has happened more than once! You know, I don't know how to be anything but me (even though I've tried other styles) and I found that I like plain old me best...the good, the bad and the ugly!! I love that you are always yourself and that I can always count on that!! Love you dear sweet friend and thank you for referencing that post...I had to go back and read it...still can't believe I did that...LOL!!

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  23. Hi,
    I am me on my blog! And I agree. I enjoy honest writing.
    Thank you for being just that!
    xx oo
    Carla

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  24. Great post! I am me on my blog that is why it will jump from crafting something to a bird in the tree! I love sharing the fun and exciting things in my life....even if they are only fun and exciting to me. Sorry I posted about how to boil an egg.....oops, just kidding that was not me! I love to share. Love your blog so happy I found you.

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  25. Hi Rue, love this...well said! I had to laugh at the boiled egg post. Really? Well, I was mostly laughing because I remember my photo I showed of my 2 double-yoked eggs recently. I'm sure no one was as excited by them as I was, but it's one of life's little pleasures to me to crack open an egg and discover a double yoke! lol! My favorite blogs are those where the blogger is just "keeping it real". xo Cheryl

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  26. I love your blog, Rue, and I think your photographs are beautiful. Just keep being you. xo Laura

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  27. Of course! I love the individual blogs I read because of just that - they're individual! Imagine how boring blogs would be if they were all alike. I love each personality behind all the blogs that I read. Now as to how to boil an egg, I'm with you - I have no desire to read a blog post about that. If I didn't know how, I'd do a Google search. ;-)

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  28. Thanks for stopping by my place...always so good to "see" you. :)
    We all have favorite blogs to read...I started loving yours way back when it was P&J....still love it and love your pretty house. xo

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  29. Ahhh, Rue, how close to home you have struck. If you read my post for tomorrow, you'll know why your post is making me grin. And what fun to know that you are blogging because of Kim. She's fabulous, isn't she? You could have, at least, tossed a bird in here somewhere, preferably a duck, better yet a swan. Thanks for popping by my place. Always fun to have you drop by.

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    1. Ackkkkk! How did I miss the bird?! Well now you have emulated the master and achieved perfection. 🌿

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  30. love love love your world!stumbled in and got cozy thanks for your stories!

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  31. I agree with Melanie, it would be terribly boring if we were all alike, and I enjoy a selection of different blogs for various reasons. It may be vintage, it may be encouraging, it could be humorous, or the person may be very talented at art or photography, but I appreciate and enjoy each one. Great post, Rue, thank you so much for sharing. :)

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  32. I love this post and I love your blog and you--just the way you are. That picture of the kitchen sink and the sun is amazing---love that!! Did you make that one because it's just gorgeous. Glad you liked the "green door house" post--I did so enjoy learning all about that family and their place in our city! Fun for me to do because I love history so much. Do you have a fun weekend planned?

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  33. Hi Rue, I've always enjoyed your blog. My blog is definitely a reflection of me! I know my grammar and punctuation are terrible but that's me! I write about and photograph things I like and I just hope others enjoy it too.
    Have a good day.

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  34. Amen sister! I've tried it both ways an I can't keep up with the new way.

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  35. Well said! Don't ever change!

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  36. What a great post, Rue. There's only one of us, and we might as well be the best, unique version of ourselves that we can be. ❤️

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  37. ♥ APPLAUSE ♥
    & might i add to your thoughtful thoughts if you don't mind......
    i'm terribly tired of reading blog(s) whose blog owners are being
    truthful in sharing who they are and how or where they really live.
    just stating fact. life is messy. embrace it! be REAL. and as you
    so eloquently stated - dear rue - be YOU ♥
    signed,
    sherry, whose life is messy, a bit beautiful, with a dash of traumatic.

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    1. AREN'T being truthful in sharing who..... {oops}

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  38. Maybe that blogger was being herself. What if being boring is who she really is? Can you imagine? LOL. Although, I had my 35-yo niece recently ask how to boil an egg so that it peels easily. I need to send her the link to that blog. Oh, wait...I need to find "how to peel an egg" post. ;)

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  39. :D This post just made me smile Rue. Sometimes I do write boring posts, but hey, there are days when I bore myself too. ;) Nobody lives a picture perfect life and quite frankly, I'm highly suspicious of people who try to come across like they do. We all have our good and bad days, days when we don't get out of our pajamas because well, life is hard sometimes and other days when we feel like we can take on the world and win! You know, I like people who are generally positive people and who can still see the beauty through their tears, but I also feel so very privileged when they share their struggles too. I think finding that balance is important. Be blessed my friend!

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  40. You've noticed I'm not posting lately, but I'm not sure where my blog was heading. I hope to get back to it someday. By the way this was a great post! I love your photos and adore your kitchen sink.

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  41. Yes, we are certainly happier being ourselves and not trying to imitate anyone else, whether in life or on our blogs. Sorry to leave so many comments but I'm forever catching up...lol

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