If I were a good, reliable blogger, I’d have written something and gotten it posted and in your inbox at 5 AM this morning. But, as I mentioned last week, I’m not a good blogger. I’m a well-intentioned one though, and this week, as the close of 2018 is nigh, I shall close the year with reflection.

There are a lot of bloggers who like to do a year in review, a recap as it were, but – that’s them, this is me. I don’t even bother with my top 9 images on Instagram. Why? I don’t care. The moment I post something and realize I’m waiting for approval in the form of “likes”, thumbs-ups, hearts, rainbows, stars, and leprechauns, I mentally slap myself. Not just any slap – a wallop of a mental slap shoots out and cracks me across the face and I say in my best imitation of Cher in “Moonstruck”, “SNAP OUT OF IT!”

Hitting people isn’t okay… use your words!

Because I realized long ago that the likes, thumbs-up, hearts, and marshmallow moons and stars, do not mean anything other than people agree with you. And once we’re in an echo chamber of our own accolades, I think we lose sight of who we are.

Me? I like to write stuff. I like to make people laugh. I like to make people think. I like to make people feel something emotionally, happiness, sadness, something. But, after my 40+ years on this earth, I’m always amazed at how my experiences change me, often for the better, and I’m proud that I’m always open to learning new things. Speaking of things I’ve learned…

Audiobooks are the Bomb

I love reading and I have since I was flipping the pages of the Pokey Little Puppy. My parents’ front room has an entire wall of bookshelves from which I could extract whatever I wanted to read. I went through a number of years where my reading waned, mostly it was because I was dealing with what I learned was “brain fog” associated with gluten intolerance, and reading was no longer joyful. But, dietary changes pulled me out of that gloom and I’m back to reading, and listening.

As of the writing of this post, I have finished 95 books in 2018. With luck, I’ll finish one or two more before midnight strikes on the new year. I reached that high count of books thanks to audiobooks. I find that I retain just as much from the audiobooks as I do from the hard copies. I also have completed FAR more non-fiction books than I ever thought I would.

Don’t Bring Logic and Rationale to an Emotion Fight

Oh, sometimes I bring emotions to a debate which are better left at home, but then again, I am mostly human. And, while I gave up on trying to have meaningful discussions with people online, from time-to-time, I still indulge. Whether the other parties are men or women, it matters not, but it’s the rare person who appreciates mentioning logic or rationale in a discussion that causes people to feel something emotionally.

Also, as a woman, let me just say that if you ask a fellow woman, “Why are you getting so emotional,” it goes over just as well if a man were to do it.

In other words, I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut. Mostly.

Fame, Fortune, and Everything That Goes with It

Well, I’m not very famous. Perhaps locally. Perhaps infamous. But, I’m definitely not able to roll into an auto dealership and fan out Benjamins to pay cash. I don’t get “the best table” at restaurants just by showing up. I seldom share my modeling images online, because…. So many creepy fuckers…. And I’m not even trying to become an “influencer” on any social platform. “Instafamous” people, for the most part, strike me as disingenuous.

This year, I’ve seen a lot of people posting about proving to the world that they are their “authentic self” online while at the same time, every post is sponsored by ten different products the “authentic” person is trying to get you to purchase. How can you be authentic AND be a shill at the same time? Unless, of course, that is what you are. But, I get it – everyone wants to make a buck, needs to make a buck to put groceries on the table. While practically turning over a blog to corporate powers to plug products works for some, it doesn’t work for me. If it did, you all would need to be buying a LOT more lip balm, snug socks, and footwear.

And so, I’m content with the lack of fame, the lack of fortune, and… the lack of everything that goes with them. I’m comfortable with who I am and my character.

Now then, I think it’s time to say goodbye to 2018, on this blog at least, and to look forward to more reading, (hopefully) more writing, and learning a great many more things in 2019.

Thank you for being here, reading this, and I hope, sticking around to see where it goes in the future.

What are some things you’ve learned in 2018? Did you discover a favorite book?

The Amusing Muse is a writer, student, gentlewoman farmer, and player of MarioKart, who lives near Madison, Wisconsin. She has been trying to read, or listen to, as many literature classics as she can, but also enjoys most anything about brain science, sociology, psychology, and British mysteries. She’d also like to report that her guppies had babies… they are only running at about a .25-.50% survival rate.

Blog title image clip art courtesy of Pixabay.com.