Life goes by so fast that if I don't take the time to write about it I won't remember what I did. Plus I MUST keep a journal of my life so my grandchildren will know who I am. I'm not sure why this has become so important to me but it has.
Lately, I have had the unfortunate opportunity to read more than one blog where the blogger has decided to "take a break" from blogging because of "negative" comments or reviews they have received. I'm having a hard time understanding why people feel they must say something negative. If your negative comment is intended to be "constructive" criticism then by all means put it out there but make sure you preface it as such. I find that the "words of wisdom" my grandmother bestowed upon me as a young girl are very applicable here, "if you can't say anything nice then DON'T say anything at all." Blogging about a subject is not a be all end all to the subject matter being blogged about. If your opinion differs from what someone is sharing, so be it. If you think that what someone has shared on a blog is detrimental, then contact them in a personal email, don't call them out to the world. Who knows, you may have taken what they were sharing out of context or better yet the blogger may be touching on a subject that you yourself need to deal with.
I want my children and grandchildren to know that negativity does not create a productive life. Bad things happen, there is negativity all around us, every minute of every day, BUT how we chose to respond to that negativity says much more about you as a person and dictates the road you will walk in life. I encourage everyone who blogs and reads blogs to think twice before you make a derogatory remark, whether you think it is derogatory or not. Words on a page can be taken out of context so easily and can wound a person's spirit, sometimes beyond repair.
I send a heartfelt hug out to those who have been wounded by the unnecessary words someone has shared in a comment or review. But I would also remind those that have been wounded by someone's words, that those words do not define you. Take heart that most oftentimes negativity comes because you have struck a cord in someone else that they don't like. Sometimes the only way to change a person is to love them back even when they say horrible things. I am now laughing at myself because I realize I am writing to me. No, I haven't written any negative comments or reviews, that's not my style. But I do find myself, in my every day life, not being nice to people at times. I have learned the hard way to spot an ugly heart and instead of showing them love, I react to their ugliness instead of responding in love.
No one ever said the "sEcoNd hAlf" of life would be any easier.
XXOO
