The Seated View

Way back in the beginning of my blogging career, no one told me that I would learn far more than I would teach. Much of blogging — particularly in the beginning — feels a bit one-sided. Someone once told me that with a blog I was “in a position to inform.” This made me feel as if I should put together a terms of reference and an ethics board before publishing a post about my latest reality show obsession. Despite its somewhat high mindedness, that statement has lurked in my brain for years, reminding me that when I put information on my blog, I have a responsibility. To post accurate information, to use proper attribution, and in general follow the rules I was taught in university. Because if a reader were to learn something through information I share, I’d better do my best to make sure it isn’t fake news. The point of having readers is to produce stuff that they can read. Otherwise why would they come to your site? So although you know that blogging is a conversa...

What am I doing with a blog?   That’s what I asked myself in my very first post on The Seated View. Which was ten years ago today. I also thought (briefly) that I didn’t have much to say. Almost 1500 posts later, I think we know the answer to that one. So, what did I do with a blog? Ten years ago, I was a few months into rebuilding my life from a pile of rubble and ashes. I still had very little energy, the weakness of being really sick with an intense RA flare permeating all of me and my life . Yet, the joy of this second chance permeates the posts of that first month on the blog.  When I think of where I was in May 2005 and then look at where I am now, it brings an awed stillness within. My current concept of having very little energy is light-years from what it was back then when I could barely drag myself through the day. My stamina, my strength, my range have all grown exponentially and are still growing. On the surface, The Seated View...

It's April. How did it get to be April?? I must've blinked... April means Easter and Easter means a visit by the Tinks. This year, it also meant celebrating my mother's birthday. Well, the first celebration. We are waiting with the grand shindig for when she is fully recovered from her hip replacement surgery.   Instead, we did the quiet family celebration at my mother’s. With the combo celebration of the holiday and birthday, there was a lot of chocolate. The Boy imitated the Easter Bunny making a home delivery of just about the cutest Easter baskets I had ever seen in my life. Naturally, I had to get them for the kids. My only regret was that I got the last two and I couldn’t buy one for everyone. Can you believe how big they've grown? Wasn't it just last week they looked like this ?   There was presents and cards and bubblewrap. The photos involving the latter were all a blur of popping and play fights, so I’m sticking to the slower ac...

I’m a lucky woman for many reasons and one of them is that mor is not just my mother, but my friend, too.   Which is not to say that her friendship has been more important than her mothering. In fact, I think she’s pretty much the perfect mother. Even when I was little, she encouraged me to think for myself and to be part of decisions as much as possible. I may not have always gotten what I wanted, but my opinion was always considered. This was really important as a child growing up with a chronic illness — a situation where a lot of control is taken away from you. I don’t think she originally emphasized independence because of my RA, but I’m sure that enhanced her approach to parenting. My mother has always been a very independent person herself, approaching life with curiosity and no fear and encouraging Janne and myself to do the same. I grew up hearing stories of her childhood and her adventures. One of the quintessential mor stories is that time she climbed a ra...