One of my favorite blogs -- Restless Wanderings -- has gone belly up. It seems that the host, Bruce Gerencser, has decided that his physical woes (MS, Fibromyalgia, etc.) have become too much and have made it difficult for him to keep up with the writing and what not of running a popular and successful blog. As a sufferer of an autoimmune disease or two myself in combination with Asperger's Syndrome and Schizotypal Personality Disorder, I understand where he's coming from.
That said, I'm here to ask Bruce to reconsider his decision! If typing has become too arduous and debilitating, there are many speech-to-text software programs out there. I realize it may take a while to get the hang of it, but it IS doable. Another option is to find a friend or relative willing to type what you dictate. I'm sure there are other alternatives that I haven't thought of or know about.
Bruce has a gift and I know he has helped many, many people who are trying to pull themselves away from the fundamentalist Christian perspective. He writes from the heart and it comes through in his writings. His openness and honesty about his life and travails touches a chord deep within many. And his new found lease on life provides many with hope that they too can find peace.
So Bruce, if you're out there somewhere, I understand why you made this difficult decision, but I ask you to explore the options that would allow you to breath new life into Restless Wanderings. Your voice is needed more than ever in a troubled world.
That said, I'm here to ask Bruce to reconsider his decision! If typing has become too arduous and debilitating, there are many speech-to-text software programs out there. I realize it may take a while to get the hang of it, but it IS doable. Another option is to find a friend or relative willing to type what you dictate. I'm sure there are other alternatives that I haven't thought of or know about.
Bruce has a gift and I know he has helped many, many people who are trying to pull themselves away from the fundamentalist Christian perspective. He writes from the heart and it comes through in his writings. His openness and honesty about his life and travails touches a chord deep within many. And his new found lease on life provides many with hope that they too can find peace.
So Bruce, if you're out there somewhere, I understand why you made this difficult decision, but I ask you to explore the options that would allow you to breath new life into Restless Wanderings. Your voice is needed more than ever in a troubled world.
What bothers me is that this is the 4th time that he's done it.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel somewhat abused when bloggers go into a cycle of "No, I won't" and "OK I will," repeatedly.
I have often thought of quitting. But even if I ever do. I will just post a note saying that I won't be writing for a while, and I would leave the the archives there for anyone who cares to read them.
That said, I do understand that behind the decision there are physical and mental health issues that can't be overseen.
Easy for me to sit here and judge, when it isn't me going through the pain.
But it is bizarre when for a while you see 4 posts a day, and all of a sudden they close shop. You'd think that a couple of posts a week wouldn't break anyone's back. I know that's all I'm able to produce, and I still manage to keep a few readers interested.
Feel free to delete this rant if you feel it should.
No deletion needed. I'm sure Bruce would appreciate your frankness.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing that the reason Bruce has hosted a blog, then deleted it times 4 is that he WANTS to have one badly, but each time it causes too much physical stress.
Of course, I think I can identify with Bruce's activity level. Like him, when I commit to something, I give 150%. In time though, my obsession with whatever tends to burn me out.
I'm learning to pace myself a bit better.
I get where Bruce is coming from.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't easy. I've been online for 9 years but pieces of me are scattered all over the internet. Our struggle is not about anyone else, it's internal.
We also know it's upsetting to others and that adds even more stress to a kettle already full. We know. Bruce through himself out there and it's not easy opening yourself up like that. I've always guarded what I write. I went private in my blogging to share my truth but I suspect even it is too much for others to bear, so I will withdraw from it as well.
I know when my own physical pain is off the charts (as it is currently) my emotional state weakens and it makes blogging even more difficult. I'm sitting on a big pillow, with an Obus form behind my back. My keyboard is on my lap, my feet on the bottom shelf of the desk and still, I ache all over.
When I wake up in the morning my first though is, 'You've got to be kidding. It's morning? And every cell in my body screams with pain and my analytical mind can't take it and I feel the weight of the sadness of life and think to myself that it's another day and I've got to do it all over again.
You see, if I wrote that every single day on my blog, someone would call me a cry baby. And I want to yell, 'So what? Take a hike! It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.'
I should blog this but I have a difficult time trusting people who will sit there and judge me. They don't seem to know that we already judge ourselves enough. And that's a part of all of our pain.
I admire others who can stay long-term to their task at hand, like blogging. I'm not one of them.
Great post TRT. Another option for Bruce would be to join another blog and guest post from time to time. If I was a stable blogger I'd offer. :-)
Zoe,
ReplyDeleteIn reading your words, I FEEL your pain! Really. It describes how I feel on many a day.
I know that I'm far more open about my life than most people would deem prudent. My openness is borne of my Asperger's. I have so much trouble knowing where to draw lines that I gave up on trying to draw them long ago. :-D
I really like your suggestion re Bruce joining another blog or, at least, submitting posts from time to time.
Hey Bruce, if you happen to drop by and are reading my words right now, I would be honored if you'd like to write one or more guest posts here!!
Zoe,
ReplyDeleteBut nobody is expecting a post from us. We blog when we want to. I DO NOT feel that because I have a blog I should constantly post.
If readers come looking for something and find nothing, that's too bad. I know bloggers who post once or twice a month, and that's find. The readership decreases, yes, but so what?
When I go without blogging for a while, I just post comments in a bunch for blogs and the readers remember me and come back.
Leaving a blog open for others to learn from our past experiences is a service to the human race. I encourage bloggers to leave their writing out there, even if they decide to no longer post new stuff.
Thanks TRT. I have no idea how I found you, but I found you long ago and it's your pain that drew me here. You know.
ReplyDeleteLorena,
ReplyDeleteYou mean people aren't lined up on the internet to read my blog? *wink*
Maybe Bruce will leave his blog up at some point. I know I have been considering leaving my A Complicated Salvation online. I want to do some work on it first though, but yes, if I leave that actual part of writing for good, I would like to leave that blog up. It may have been easier for Bruce if he had remained anonymous.