Sunday Morning Musing: Writing, Parenting, and Why I Shouldn’t Try So Hard

I love to write. I really do. I especially enjoy writing blog posts. But sometimes when I think I’ve written the best post I’ve ever written, turns out to be, well mediocre. Rather disappointing actually. So when I realized I could take a lesson I learned from being a dad and apply it to writing, I was rather surprised.

The other day it dawned on me that maybe I was trying to hard. Maybe I shouldn’t concern myself so much with trying to impress readers as much as just write from the heart. Some of my most successful posts have been the ones that I’ve written somewhat “off the cuff.”

It’s very easy to get bogged down with worrying about SEO, tagging the post correctly, finding appropriate links, and so on. But really, the essence of blogging is sharing stories, ideas, and for me the random experiences of being a dad.

The ironic part is I taught my son how to high-five with mommy and daddy. I didn’t try very hard to do it. I thought, well he’s only ten months, may not work. It wouldn’t be a big deal if it didn’t. So I took a relaxed approach to it. I sat him on my lap, placed my hand a few inches a way, and said “Ok bud, high-five!” The look on my face probably made me appear to be a used car saleman trying to convince someone to ignore the Carfax information. But, within minutes…. his little hand came up and gently slapped mine. He had a look of surprise when I was so happy. But the point was I didn’t try very hard. Of course he looked at me like I was nuts, but hopefully one day he’ll understand my joy.

So as I write this Sunday morning, I find myself just letting my thoughts “flow.” The writer in me fears this post is simply mediocre, and if readers think so, that’s fine. Maybe my theory isn’t entirely correct. The only way to truly find out, is to try. At least I know I’ll get support from my little guy as he high-fives me.

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