The One Notebook Principle

14 July 2023

There are probably thousands, if not millions, if not billions even, of people like me.  People for whom the idea of sharing things online either never occurs to us, feels like too much effort to create a post, or some combination of the two.  It’s not that my cats aren’t cute; it’s not even that I don’t have pictures and videos of them being cute.  Honestly, it’s that I never really feel like it needs to be shared with a mass of perfect strangers who have their own lives to worry about.  

It’s not that I’ve never thought about sharing; after all I’m writing this post/entry.  The difference, really, between my attempts and thoughts and other people’s is that I lack follow through.  I have had blogs in the past, an Instagram account, and a Twitter account.  None of them lasted for longer than a few posts because I lack follow through.  Ultimately, my life doesn’t feel like it’s worth the effort of sharing.  This isn’t because I feel like my life is lacking or that it doesn’t somehow “measure up.”  It’s just that I’m busy living it, not recording it for the entertainment of strangers.

“Alright,” I can hear internet hecklers say, “but here you are trying it again?  Airing out your thoughts and your lives for perfect strangers?”

So let me explain, even though internet hecklers will think what they like because they’re that kind of people and actually seem to enjoy being rude.

First, this post was sort of writing itself in my head and so I figured I would type it up.  This has happened before and I have other entries that have never made it onto the internet outside of my Google Drive.  I find these ideas are better written down or typed up (why are those prepositions different for those verbs?  Never mind, different topic) then left languishing in my head.  Getting these entries out of my head actually has nothing to do with sharing them with the world.

So why is this, potentially anyway, getting posted on the internet?  I’m actually not sure as I’m writing this that it will get posted, but let me try to explain why I actually might.  There comes a point where you want things that you do to affect other people.  Not negatively, again that’s not good for anyone and if you get enjoyment from that maybe you should think about the kind of person you have become.  Affecting people positively, or at least neutrally, however is a thing to be strived for in the world.  Generally, as a teacher, I strive to have at least a neutral effect, but hopefully a positive one, on my students.  

My students, however, don’t benefit or even hear my stories about the chickens, my attempts at spinning, or any other craft I’m dabbling in at the moment.  They don’t hear about my yet-to-be successful attempts at using the meal planning board I put together several months ago or how well the garden is growing even though we’re dealing with a rat problem (thankfully our six cats seem to be keeping them outdoors and they’ve yet to bother the chickens).  

These are things I want to write about.  These are things I think I might want to share, just in case someone needs to or wants to read them.  Just in case they help, even though they might never help anyone.  So here we go, posting and trying to maybe be consistent about it, just in case.