Jul 5, 2008 | Personal, Websites
Everyone, this is Kat.
Kat, this is everyone =)
Back in February of this year, I came across Kat’s personal blog at www.mysinglemomlife.com. I can’t remember how I found it exactly, but I had never read a personal blog before and I was really quite moved by how open and real she was in her writing.
The other thing that struck me at the time was how much I had in common with her – she’s about my age, a divorced mom raising 2 teenage boys, working from home, someone who loves music and cats, experiencing what appeared to be ups and downs very similar to my own. Yes, there were definitely issues that we have different opinions about, but so much of her life seemed to be a reflection of mine and I could relate to many things that she wrote about.
When I found her blog writings (which she’s been doing for over 10 years now) she was venting about her frustrations with the boys and the physical pain and mental exhaustion she was going through. I have since discovered that her physical pain is on a level much higher than mine and is the result of scoliosis and subsequent recent spinal surgery. (She now has a titanium rod the size of France in her back and she is in a lot of pain.)
But I digress.
Her blog touched me. I have wanted to write for many years and have never known quite how to do it. A novel seemed too intimidating, a journal seemed boring and non-fiction seemed crazy (what the hell do I know about anything?) Seeing her blog and what she was writing about provided just the spark I needed to finally get into my own writing.
And so I created justB[coz].
It is as a direct result of Kat’s personal blog that I found the inspiration I needed to start my own blog and use this space for anything and everything I wanted to write about. My very first post credited her with providing the spark of enthusiasm I needed to get going with this personal venture. Unlike Kat though, and as an aside, I don’t intend to make any money from justB[coz] – any reviews I write here are entirely off my own bat and I receive no compensation at all. Kat is unfortunately not able to go out and work so she relies on her blog for income and I admire her greatly for that. She is a survivor and she does the very best she can with what she has.
This lady has a special place in my heart. I still keep up with her writing as much as I can and support her to the best of my ability.
So you can imagine my delighted surprise when I got home from the birthday bash last night (which was very cool BTW) to find that Kat had left a comment on my blog! A beautiful, encouraging comment that was full of warmth and wisdom. I was ecstatic, and incredibly honored that the person responsible for setting me off on the blog path had come to visit my little space and taken the time to write a message to me.
I’m very chuffed! I just had to share that with you and let you know who she is and what she means to me =)
Jul 2, 2008 | Personal
On Sunday I wrote about how Social Media has impacted on my life, so this is close to my heart.
I received a heart-warming message from a dear, sweet girl who used to work for me and is now living in the UK. This young lady has had an extremely traumatic life, enduring far more than anyone should have to go through in just 20 odd years.
Anyway, she contacted me via good old Facebook recently and sent me this message about JustB[coz]:
Hi
Had a bit of spare time and so checked out your blog…..you write very well. It made me laugh and cry. I love how you’re so real (which i guess is the point of a personal blog), but still, i think it takes courage, which I really admire you for. You are way braver than I could ever imagine to be, a lot of the things you wrote seriously challenged me. And I know thats not really the point, but, just thought I’d tell you anyway that I really learnt a lot of little things from you. So thank you. Keep writing, it’s really awesome. Sorry, that’s just my two cents worth of feedback, whether you wanted it or not. hehe! 🙂
enjoy your week.
I am so touched and so thrilled that my blog has not only helped me, but has also had a positive effect on somebody else’s life. Her wonderful feedback really does illustrate the points I made in my Sunday post about how social media and networking can add real value to one’s life and how those folk who participate in these technologies can affect other lives far more than they realise.
To be thanked for my writings and encouraged to continue feels amazing too!
So JOC, THANK YOU! Thinking of you. Mwah xxx
May 20, 2008 | Friends and Family, WordPress
Just kidding …. The beautiful man in my life, Sir G, has told me he’s going to start his own blog. Lately, he’s been feeling like he needs to let loose on some creative level and the guy does have a degree in media and writing, so I guess a blog is perfect for him.
I’ve pointed him towards WordPress.com to go and register a username and set up a site. After all the research I’ve done into blogging software, I think WordPress is one of the best out there in terms of features and ease of use.
I’m not sure if he’s going to make his new blog public or not, we’ll see. Hmmm, if he does, I think I’m gonna be put to shame! And although he’s told me that it’s going to just be “his thing”, that he has no intention of doing anything other than just jotting down his thoughts, we are both really competitive and I guess I’m a little worried that this could grow into something that could come between us. On the other hand, it could also turn out to be a good thing – another common interest that we share, so I shouldn’t stress, right?
Writing comes very naturally to Sir G (lucky bugger), he has a wide range of interests and he also doesn’t think like anyone else I know, so I am looking forward to reading the ramblings from inside his head – this man is so out the box, I love it =)
Mar 11, 2008 | Personal
Why? … justB[coz]
OK, so I’ve decided to take the blog-plunge! Not really sure how it’ll go, but I thought it’d be cool to have my own spot to write about and publish what’s happening in my head, around me, to me, because of me (you get the picture, right?).
I have been thinking about doing this for a few months and finally got the inspiration I needed to dive into this new venture when I accidentally stumbled onto a blog written by Kat Cooper. This lady is so brave – she’s been through some really rough times both physically and emotionally and every day she shares her story with the world. I can relate to some of her struggles and I truly admire her courage. I subscribe to her blog and look forward to reading about all the happenings in her life every day. It’s comforting to know that somebody else shares some of my experiences and it’s refreshing to read her heartfelt and lucid words.
But (and that’s a HUGE BUT!), I make no promises here – I’m not particularly funny, insightful or witty. I don’t have any interesting hobbies or amazing skills. I don’t travel at all and I definitely don’t know any celebrities. In fact, my life is super b-o-r-i-n-g! So … don’t hold your breath … really, you have been warned =)
Headspace will probably just be used to record mundane day-to-day happenings, keep track of some events, upload and share some photos, allow me to vent a bit, keep busy for a few hours and generally just provide me with some much needed keyboard therapy.
Who knows? We’ll see where it goes …
