“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” ~Mark Twain

Taking stock

I’ve been blogging part-time for the past year. I started off doing a lot of it over at Multifamily Insiders and still do from time to time. The way I look at it, this blogging thing is really just a way to speak, to you, to others, about stuff rattling around in my brain. In January, I decided to register my own domain name and over the course of this year have built a very small gathering of followers. I’m not famous, I’m not a webrity, my traffic numbers are paltry at best but it’s hard for me to be mad about that. Blogging only gives back as much as you give it. It’s time though to breathe some more life into BSitko. Over the next 6 months here’s my improvement plan:

• I’m not posting enough.

I post when I get an idea that nags at me until I type it out. Blogging is a hobby, a way to talk things out and if I felt that I had to do it to fill a “deadline”, will it be fun anymore? I do want this blog to become successful though. So going forward I DO need to post regularly. Twice a week. Hopefully you will all enjoy the expanded content selection.

• I need to comment more on other blogs.

This isn’t just to brown nose or strictly for selfish reasons alone. There are blogs I read almost everyday and I mostly remain silent on them. Blogging is a community and I need to participate fully in it.

• I have no central focus.

Blogging about social media is fun. Sometimes I like to chat it up with my multifamily industry people. Other times my kids do something so ridiculous I need to talk about that. On occasion, I spot a new gadget out there that I need to talk about. The problem with being too broad is I keep confusing people when they come here. If you’re arriving for a social media article and you spot a parenting one and one talking about renting apartments, I’m sure you click away confused. Should this broad approach continue or do I need to focus on just one thing? What do you think?

What does blogging mean to me.
Something Amber Naslund said in her excellent post from last week helps me keep it in perspective. Blogging helps “me establish an area of expertise, a personality and point of view, and work through ideas that interest me” For reasons I couldn’t put into words before, they describe why I do what I do today… hopefully going forward there will be more of it.

Personal Story

I’m 37 years old. To some that’s young and to others that’s ancient. Your perspective is probably brought on by your own age and your own experiences. I won’t hold it against you for either viewpoint. I mention this because to most who know me, I’m constantly prattling away about how “old” I am and always quipping about how “They don’t make things like they used to”. Part of me is just joking when I say this and part of me is serious. I don’t like getting older.

Can’t control time
This worrying about my age stuff IS kind of dumb don’t ya think? I can’t control time. Tomorrow I will wake up, breathe in, glance at my daughter who I’m sure is waiting for me to take her to the bathroom and get another day older. That’s inevitable. Two months ago that cheery morning routine was partially interrupted with a dull pain in the center of my back. It was annoying, I thought little of it, and after a few it settled down and stopped. Every week thereafter that annoying dull pain stopped going away quickly and instead remained behind. At first it was mid morning, then early afternoon, the mid afternoon and finally, it didn’t go away at all.

Heading off to see Mr. Emergency Room doctor.
Last Friday after work, I laid down on the couch in my living room and didn’t want to get up. Well maybe that’s not quite right. I laid down on the couch in my living room and COULDN’T get up. It was then I realized that I needed help. After spending half the night in the ER on delalutin (which was really good stuff by the way), I found out I have a pinched nerve in my back. For anyone who has experienced this kind of back pain, you’ll understand the amount of discomfort I’ve been in. More to the point though it was then, while laying on the hospital bed and listening to the doctor explain what I had, that I realized I’m no longer in my twenties. I mean I’m REALLY not, forget the jokes about my age, and the offhanded comments about getting older, that was when the reality of my “situation” set in. I can no longer take my body for granted and I am not invincible. I believe we all have that moment…have you had yours?

Something dumb.

Guy walks into a bar. Next time he needs to watch where he’s going.