A Megaphone for the A' La Mode....

I read the following quote on Twitter this morning.  Oh yeah, guess who's on Twitter now?!  Tweet Tweet people!  Check me out HERE and see what I have to chirp about.

So here's the quote.

"Blogging is not a stepping stone for me. Blogging isn’t a way for me to build a platform so I can do whatever it is that I really want to do. I’m doing what I really want to do, right now, and I’m not looking for something that will give me extra credibility. I just want a megaphone."
The Nester, for S Bryant on "Writing an e-book: Is it a fit for you?" (via 29lincolnavenue.)

And I was thinking about it especially since I met with my very talented friend Erin yesterday of Insight Blog Design.   Re-doing this blog, it's on my list of things to do, and now it's on hers too!  And so I've been wondering lately what I've been doing here.  She challenged me to figure that out for the redesign, and here's what I've come up with....

I'm a naturally wired social networker, which is probably why I've loved this avenue more than I've ever though I would.  I've been networking and loving making friends all over for YEARS....even before there was facebook.  I've joined business networking groups, was in a sorority in college (social chair even), I'm one of the first to volunteer for planning any event, and I love hosting parties where everyone I know can just come and have a good time.  So for me, blogging gets to be that.  But even better because I get to demystify some of the things that I do and make them tangible for people who don't give themselves the credit they deserve.  I get to pour into people just by thinking out loud.  And then there are moments where I see a friend in Marshalls and they learned to cut an onion because of me, or I get an email that says "I had a recipe for something that called for a leek and I pulled up your blog and followed the instructions to cut it. Thanks!"  I'm a natural product endorser too....when I love something, you will know it.  And then I want everyone to get in on the greatness, or the fun, or the making life better one comfy shoe or clean floor at a time. Once in awhile I have a profound learning moment, and even thinking back through it to share, I find that I'm able to often gain even more perspective...so I learn from my own mistakes even better because I share them with you.  And I think that one thing that has been the most fun for me is just being me and getting to know some of you.

But here's the thing that I always want to be here no matter what the look of things is...whether I have a great header, or an embarrassing moment, or the most delicious recipe, or even a thought-provoking word....what I always want to be is....

authentic.

I'm learning that this avenue can eventually help provide some extra income for our family (so be on the lookout with the new redesign for some cool ad space. I promise it'll be nice, not annoying), but more importantly it is another way for me to pour into other people (from where I sit behind this screen)..and I genuinely LOVE doing that.  

So Nester, I agree....I just want a megaphone to share the right now of life....because it's the dessert, the icing on the cake...the a' la mode.  And I don't want to run by and miss it on my way to anything else.  I want to walk, take time to smell the roses, to feel the rain...and to have people walk alongside with me to make it that much sweeter!