A Voice

     Wow! It appears that I haven't blogged since February!  Time flies when you're having fun, or when you have family and a part time job and a house and a yard and..... you know how it is!  So let me catch you up on some "new" things in my life after 50.  I am addicted to thrift stores and consignment shops.  I have a very special friend of many years who travels with me to favorite stores in the area.  We go out of town about once a month, and occasionally I hit the flea market, yards sales and thrift stores in my hometown.  My husband enjoys thrifting too, so we make it our Saturday morning "date" quite often.  We're planning a trip to Roanoke, Va. to Black Dog Salvage later on this year and we spent one morning in Wilmington, NC not too long ago enjoying yard sales and thrift stores.
     And speaking of thrifting and repurposing, I now make chimepots.  These are repurposed teakettles, coffee pots and etc, made into windchimes using old dining utensils as chimes.  It's been a lot of fun.  I've sold a few, given more away as gifts.  Not sure where this venture will take me but I'm having a ball exploring my creative side.

      So today my thoughts are about having a voice and how blogging helps people get their thoughts in order, sort of repurposing our experiences and ideas in order to help others understand an issue, or to share common experiences, or to just get something off our chest so we can move on with our lives.  I think that having a voice is a basic need.  It's not about getting attention, it's about validation.  If someone hears and acknowledges my thoughts, I feel better.  People don't have to agree with me.  Sometimes I just need to be heard.  My most treasured friends are the ones who let me vent, who may or may not offer a response, but who give me an opportunity to be heard.  I do the same for them.
      I hope you are able to repurpose your experiences and ideas with someone!  Go ahead, start a blog! So what if only 2 people read it, it's still good for the soul! (And personally, I'd rather read your blog than listen to those infamous/famous people "entertainment news stories" that come on after the evening news.)  I like the non-celebrity stories the best. Power to the Real People!