This post is directed especially to my fellow bloggers.
I’m experiencing something, and I’ve been wondering all day if other bloggers are dealing or have dealt with this as well.
If it were to be happening occasionally or with just one of my readers then I wouldn’t be spending any of my creative energy on this matter at all. However, over the course of my blogging life, this phenomena has been continuous and committed by many different readers.
What I’m talking about is someone reading a post and immediately assuming I’m writing about him or her. Yes, I know that I am often vague when referring to others in my posts, because I do care about maintaining the individual’s privacy, and I understand that in doing this I leave room for people to make assumptions, but come on … really? The example I’ll use here is one that gets the most response, and that is the mention of “stalker”. I’m wondering if any of you (fellow bloggers) would be surprised to know just exactly how many complaints I get every time I mention I’ve got a stalker. It’s amazing, and it’s somewhat frightening that I’ve got that many people projecting themselves to be the stalker that I’ve mentioned. And they get very defensive about it. The first couple dozen times this happened, I thought it was funny, but now it’s just starting to be annoying.
Another area of my blog that’s gotten me into trouble is the “Remembering You” page. Now, this is particularly interesting, because this page seems to be the most misunderstood of all my writings. Several people have assumed that the entire page is about them. In actuality, the page is meant to be a dedication to individuals who have made an impact in my life. At the moment I have made four entries, with each entry representing a separate individual. One of the entries is written about someone who passed away thirteen years ago, so when someone today tells me I’ve written that entry about him or her, I have to laugh.
I was a bit annoyed about it today, and maybe let it get to me more than I should have allowed, enough so that I had to take a break from it, but I’m not going to let it keep me from blogging, because I love to write. Those of you who blog understand where I’m coming from on this point. So when I returned to the blog, it occurred to me that just maybe I’m not the only one dealing with this sort of nonsense. Or maybe I’m just seeking shelter in the power of numbers.
Kheri's Thoughts 