On Being Present

In-the-Moment Blogging: On Being Present

*In-the-Moment Blog posts are written during my morning coffee and are not planned or organized. They are clearly off-the-cuff and in-the-moment.*

I spent all weekend reading Don Winslow's latest tome - The Border. This is an immensely intricate book about the drug trade. As a pharmacist, I am very interested in how illicit drugs make their way all the way into the inner city streets of Baltimore and other urban locales.

But...I didn't do much writing over the weekend.

This is a dilemma. There are bloggers who read and there are readers who blog. The former probably blogs when they should be reading. The latter...well, that's where I fall in...should pull themselves from the coziness of their current read and write a little. (Hmmm...this is actually a good topic for discussion!)

I admit it -- I love writing and reading, but I love reading more. As such, I will often disappear between the pages of wonderful words and enter dazzling places. (Ok...reading about crime is not necessarily dazzling, but it engulfs me.)

While being a blogger doesn't necessarily have a schedule, it does require a level of commitment and presence, especially since I blog for a greater purpose.

So what does this mean? It means that I must 'show up' daily and continue being authentic. What if God wants a certain reader to see or hear something He has opened my eyes to see in a book and I keep saying 'oh...just one more chapter'? I must listen and follow His lead.

I didn't do that this weekend. While also reading The Border, I am also slowly devouring Ellen's latest book Geek and Ye Shall Find. Oh, the thoughts and feels!! (I never understood what other readers meant by 'the feels' until now.) Not to digress too much, but, there were several eye-openers I was prompted to chew on and write about. Did I? NOPE. I decided to read and guzzle Earl Grey tea. Not good. Oh...and I borrowed more graphic novels from the library! *face palm*

So, this morning as I pen this post, I thought of three things I am going to commit to.

Read near the laptop. Why? To quickly record any insights that I can share on a daily basis. (Note: This works for me because I am not tempted to browse the internet or traipse through social media)
Show up daily. YEP! Since I read almost non-stop, there are so many insights gleaned from the books and articles I happily annotate. So, yes, I must show up daily and share those insights.
Set aside 1 hour to write - daily. I actually schedule my reading and naturally I plan to read every chance I get. But, I should make time to write.

On another note -- I have several interesting posts lined up for the week. Who knows...maybe there will be something that inspires you or answers a burning question you are afraid to ask.