I've Hit a Brick Wall

"Keep writing. You're doing a great job." 
"I love reading your blog."
"You said exactly what I was thinking."

All of these are comments that I have gotten from readers over the past three months of my blogging journey. I love the encouragement and definitely appreciate all who take the time to read, comment and share.

I am, for the first time, experiencing writer's block. I can't think of anything to write that would be something that I think people would want to read. My blog has no focus. I intended the focus to be about my journey into retirement, but how exciting is that? Maybe as I get closer to the actual date, I'll have more to say about that topic. I have a full 365 days until then, so what do I write about in the meantime?

A fellow blogger suggested that I write stories about my classroom experiences since I have 34 years of them. That would be easy to write about, and let me tell you, I do have some stories. One problem I have is my fading memory, but I can go through all of my old yearbooks to refresh my mind's eye. All of my former students don't need to worry that I'll write about you and your antics: I'll change the names to protect the guilty.

My husband suggested that I write about my family, especially our Southern ways. My family is like most families -- dysfuntional to the max. I used to try to hide our dysfuntion from the rest of the world until I realized that everybody has that little bit of freaky Southern Gothic in him/her. My family isn't that unique, but we do have some tales that probably should be told in order to help the others like us realize they are not alone.

With summer break beginning next week, I should have more time to put into writing. I'm looking forward to it and hope that I can write some posts that people will want to read. My ego suffers when I work on a post, editing and re-editing, find appealing pictures or video clips, and then the post is read by 50 people. I realize that I have a long way to go in finding my audience and getting my name out there via social media. It's a challenge, for sure, but one that I'm excited about taking on.

I have a few ideas I'm working on, but a couple of them need more time than I have right now. I would love suggestions/ideas. 

So, to leave you with some humor, here's one of my favorite comic strips, Agnes. If you have never read her, she's a little girl who has quite a unique view of the world. She lives with her very patient grandmother who attempts to teach Agnes correct behavior, but sometimes all the grandmother can do is shake her head. I apologize for the somewhat unclear images and hope that you can read them.

Agnes also has a best friend named Trout who sticks around even when she knows Agnes is headed down the path of no return.

Have a great weekend!