I Do TOO Have A Life! March 3, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Fiction, Humor, Life Balance.trackback
“You’re addicted to blogging.”
“No, I’m not. Why would you say that?”
“It’s all you do . . . from first thing in the morning until last thing at night.”
“What? Are you saying I don’t have a life?”
“If the shoe fits . . . ”
“I have a life.”
“Sure. Sure. Whatever.”
“I do plenty of things besides blogging . . . ”
“Like what?”
“Like . . . lots of things.”
“Name one. ”
“That’s easy . . . ”
“Besides eating and sleeping.”
“Oh.”
“That’s great. You’re a real renaissance woman . . . you eat, sleep, and blog.”
“Funny.”
“Face it. You’re addicted. You probably blog in your sleep.”
“Just because I enjoy spending time floating around the blogosphere does NOT mean that I’m addicted.”
“Does too.”
“Give me a break.”
“Give yourself a break.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just take a break for a couple of days and see what happens.”
“Why should I?”
“Instead of living in cyber space, inhabiting the World Wide Web to the exclusion of all else, step away from the keyboard and step out into the Wide Wide World.”
“Maybe I will.”
“Maybe you should.”
“Look, I know I probably spend too much time on the computer, but I do have a life outside the blogosphere.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. Here. Look. On Gratitude Sunday, Julie asked us about . . . ”
“Wait. You’re going to prove you have a life outside of blogging by referring me to a blog? You have got to be kidding.”
“Just look: We had a wonderful week. Met Jeanne (a blogging buddy) and her husband on their first trip to Florida from Minnesota.”
“So you stop reading blogs in order to meet bloggers?”
“There’s more: Went to a one act play.”
“That’s not living life. That’s watching other people live life.”
“I’m not done: Watched the Shuttle launch of Discovery.”
“You did?”
“Well, I watched it on TV and then ran outside and saw the plume.”
“Impressive. Anything else?”
“Yes: Attended a Kayaking lecture with some fab slides of Florida wildlife.”
“Might be more impressive if you went kayaking, instead of watching someone talk about going kayaking.”
“I exercised last week: Went for a bike ride. Walked on the beach.”
“Well, that’s a step in the right direction.”
“Told you.”
“What’d you do on the weekend? Did you go out on Friday night?”
“No, but I went out on Saturday night: Went to an outdoor concert ~ Island Swing (Big Band sounds).”
“What did you do on Sunday? . . . Other than blogging with Julie about your week.”
“On Sunday? Oh, right . . . Organized my writing desk and office.”
“Great! Now, you can enjoy blogging even more.”
“Yes. I mean, no . . . I use my desk for things besides blogging.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. I write letters, pay bills, do the taxes . . .”
“Speaking of taxes . . . ”
“Hey, that’s how I ended my comment to Julie: And, best of all, I did NOT do my taxes.”
“Hmm . . . maybe you have a life after all.”
Quote: Be absolutely determined to enjoy what you do. ~ Gerry Sikorski
No rules. Just write!
What about you? Does your significant other complain about the time you spend on the internet? Do you have a life outside of blogging?
Or are you drowning in the Cyber Sea?
Related posts: Blogging: A Waggish Waste of Time? * Down The Blog Hole * I Can Name That Theme in 3 Notes * What Blogs Do You Read & Why? * 7 Reasons to Press “Unsubscribe” * From Cyber Friends to Fast Friends
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Spirit Lights The Way 
YES! I get that all the time, sigh. I am in the same boat. Oh, Nancy. But do we listen at all? 😉
LOVED THIS by the way.
-BrownEyed
Thanks, BrownEyed.
When I run out of things to write about . . . that’s when I will start to worry.
I do have a life outside of blogging. My wife wants me to write.
Excellent. Life balance is key. All writing and no living results in situations like The Shining . . .
Here’s JOHNNY! 😉
I’ve been there. I’ve cut back tremendously…and I miss it! However, I’ve gotten several books read, some quilts started, and spent quality time with people I love in beautiful surroundings. I am learning to balance so that I can live in both worlds!
That’s the reason for this piece ~ I’m evaluating the balance in my life since our physical, mental, and spiritual bodies each need to be nourished.
I’ve decided that intellectually and spiritually, my life balance is fine. But my physical being gets the short shrift when I sit for too many hours at the keyboard. I’m going to work on that.
BFF doesn’t mind my blogging ~ at least he’s not an “ogre” about it. I expect it’s because when I’m not blogging, I’m hanging out with him ~ preparing meals, watching TV, sightseeing, attending lectures and concerts, etc. He gets enough of my attention that he’s satisfied with the balance.
Oops. I meant to finish my taxes last night but put up a blog post instead.
I keep meaning to cut back on the blog and work harder on my fiction, then I get a spike in readership and feel like I should nurture that.
I’m with you, OA. “This” is NOW and “that” is something that may, or may not, bear fruit.
Life is short. Eat dessert first. 😀
Absolutely Brilliant!!!!
Aww . . . thanks, PiP! I had lots of FUN writing this post. 😀
Truth can be quite funny at times.
ha ha
I loved it your post
yes my poor other half is hearing me say ‘shut up can’t you see i’m busy’
a lot
and I dont cook anymore and I don’t clean anymore ha ha ha
it is funny as he has started cooking and cleaning..it is all good!
bloggin is for ME ME ME
ps I have a life…this is it!
love x
Great comment, Gitika.
My BFF also does much of the cooking and cleaning . . . and the shopping and running of errands. Leaving me more time to enjoy ME time. Lucky US.
I was intently reading a blog post this morning and Mr Piglet asked me for one of my packets of seeds…now Mr Piglet NEVER plants anything…he does the weeding, digs holes and cuts the hedge..
I stopped mid flow…”Why” I asked, eyes still fixed on the PC screen
“Because there is so much dust on this bookcase it would be a shame to let it go to waste…!”
That was extremely witty for Mr Piglet, so I made him a coffee and gave him my FULL attention 🙂
🙂
PS on a non-related topic…is anyone else having problems receiving notifications of new posts today?
I usually receive by email and I certainly did not receive this one or several others it appears 😦
PiP
That’s FUNNY, PiP. Dust on the bookcase deep enough to plant more than words. 🙂
Glad that you gave him your undivided attention . . . for a few minutes, at least.
WP was having problems earlier and would not allow me to leave comments on any of the blogs I read. When it started working, I went back and commented on your post and others.
I have received some notifications, but maybe others are missing? Hmm . . .
It was only when you left the comment on my blog re blogging and I popped across to “search” that I realised you’d made a new post…
I do know that an announcement of this post landed in my e-mail box this morning.
And I’ve received quite a few “new post” announcements from other WP blogs. But some may have been delayed.
Thanks for the heads up.
I’ll answer you as soon as I’ve uploaded my latest post …
I am delighted that you don’t let momentary distractions deter you from your focus. 😉
Since I’m trying to become a professional writer (as opposed to an unpaid aspirant. . .), I look at writing on-line as a part of my job. My problem is not having no life; it’s having many lives, all of them demanding on my time.
I expect that many unpaid writers (who blog to develop a writing platform) share your sentiments, Greg.
At this point, I’m just enjoying the journey. Being absolutely determined to enjoy “this” keeps me from caring too much about “that.”
Funny and true. I’m at the kitchen bloggging, he is in the livingroom watching TV. I pretend I’m cooking.
That’s perfect!
“It’ll be ready in a minute, dear.”
“Need any help?”
“No. No. Stay there. I’ll bring it out in a minute.”
My job is online, so I’m kind of forced to stay by the computer all day. Blogging and surfing blogs is one of the side effects of too much screen time. 🙂
I loved your post.
Thanks, Maggie. My job used to require me to be “on line” all day . . . sadly, I never had time to take blogging breaks. 😀
I do have life outside of blogging. A real life. I have to admit that it’s hard to fit it into my blogging schedule. Ha! 🙂 Blessings to you, Nancy…
Carol Ann . . . you made me laugh out loud.
Thanks!
I tell ya, I just started my blog in December and I’m spending more and more and more time reading other people’s blogs!!! I can feel real life slipping away… I’m going for a walk!!
Good girl! Hemmingway had the right idea . . . write in the morning and drink in the pubs all afternoon. 😉
Yes, I found out early on that the blogosphere can suck up precious time and your post on cyberfriends is why. I love it. I love comments and my readers and all about it. But early on I made a commitment not to get lost in all of it.But if you like it ‘it’s win-win as you say.:)
Thanks, Clar.
As long as we remain mindful of priorities, blogging is a FUN way to interact with people from all around the Wide Wide World.
Blogging has made me a better woman. I can now cook and clean in 30 minutes flat. And then I blog about it! Seriously, I have taken to carrying my new fushia moleskine with me everywhere I go. A girl has to get her hair and nails done from time to time so she can blog about it! Right!
Exactly! We are more efficient when we want to finish necessary tasks in order to race back to our keyboards. 😉
My cup of tea every day all day is “blogging.”
Enjoy!
I wondered how relationships survive so much blogging. There’s a new entry on the list of 20 traits for a partner. “Time challenged.”
We have balance in our relationship ~ enough time together . . . enough time apart. 🙂
I love your post – it had me in stitches!
Fortunately for me, my hubby is on the ‘puter as much as I am – well, almost! He is into affiliate marketing, so I thank my lucky stars! How about this – he wants me to do a fan page for him on Facebook, so we had to make an appointment!
LOL. Did you set up the appointment in person . . . or did “his people” get in touch with “your people”? 😉
Wait! I bet you coordinated schedules via text messaging . . . from across the room! 😀
Have FUN collaborating with him on his FAN page ~ sounds like you’re his #1 FAN.
I loved the exchange… Hysterical. It is a very familiar conversation which I have sometimes with my friends… You did a great job adding bits from other posts. Nancy, this is brilliant! 🙂
Eliz
Thanks, Eliz!
I enjoyed writing it . . . blogging about getting bogged down with our blogs. 😉
Fortunately, I don’t have to worry about someone else demanding my time. But I do spend too much time on the computer. Your post made me stop feeling guilty about it. 🙂 Thanks.
When guilt tugs at our sleeve, it’s a signal that we should evaluate our actions and inactions.
Then, we can either change the action . . . or change the thought by letting go of the guilt.
Hanging on to guilt serves no purpose.
Great post! I could see myself in every word. Hubby quizzes me about how much blogging I do. He thinks I don’t do enough for myself, and I try to tell him that blogging IS for me. For some reason, he doesn’t buy it. One of my biggest failings is my inability to say no when people ask for my help or, indeed, when I perceive someone needs help. So he does have a history of me not doing enough for me. I try to make sure I give him lots of attention and watch TV with him, go for drives, get up early in the morning to chat with him before work. See, I have a life! 😛
Thanks, Sandra.
Whether I’m writing, reading, or commenting, I definitely view blogging as ME time. But I also view it as “giving back time.”
I’m taking what I’ve learned and observed about life and sharing it with readers . . . bolstering their present view of the world or offering them a different perspective.
You know my story, Nancy 🙂 One cannot throw one’s son off his computer game if one is sitting wild-eyed at the laptop typing like the wind. There are forests to stride through, dogs to walk, husbands to make occasional eye contact with, publishers to woo, castles to waft around and toddlers to tame.
Well put! Life’s balance waits in the wings.
I have to admit, I was writing a lot more when I did not have constant access to the internet. It’s taught me a lesson to be online less so I am restricting my online viewing to an hour in the morning and two hours in the evening.
That’s a great idea, Alannah. The other day, I wanted to work on the taxes. I turned off the internet because I KNEW that I would break away from the task at hand everytime I heard the beep of incoming e-mail.
It definitely helped my concentration. 🙂
Hilarious and illuminating! I must admit I would have been addicted if I didn’t have a toddler who keeps me busy 😛
Yes. You cannot tell a toddler to “wait just a few minutes to get into mischief,” nor can you say “get it yourself” when they are hungry.
Hilarious – and btw, I do sometimes blog in my sleep… or at least, there’s some piece of writing floating around when I wake up… 😉
Me too. That’s why that line is in there . . .
I often wake up already thinking/dreaming about blogging. If I’m lucky, it happens in the morning at normal wake up time.
On other occasions, it happens in the middle of the night. So sad, really. 😦
[…] I Do TOO Have A Life! (nrhatch.wordpress.com) […]
Empty nest here and a hermit for a husband. I can blog all I want. Although lately I have been feeling as it is taking over what little life I don’t have 🙂 At least I am talking to people and learning new things.
Exactly! You’re expanding your horizons. 🙂
TV time has been replaced with blogging time for me- much more productive and still lets me have a ‘real’ life!
With the exception of a few shows (including The Mentalist), I would much rather spend my “free” time blogging (or reading a book) than watching TV.
Thanks, Zoe.
Loved this dialogue! Yep, my husband thinks I’m on the computer too much, but I do have a life outside of blogging. Just this morning we went on a four mile hike with the kids.
Excellent! Kids tend to keep us focused on living life in the real world . . . except when they have their noses pressed to TV, video, and computer screens.
Hope the hike was enjoyed by all.
We had a wonderful day too ~ went to the Heritage Day Festival on AMI and to the Grand Opening of Harbour Isles. Love when the weather is conducive to being “out and about.”
Loved this! It is hilarious, and well written.
Thanks, estherlou!
Blogging is a welcome addition . . . as long as it doesn’t eclipse all else.
[…] I Do TOO Have A Life! « Spirit Lights The Way. I just read a hilarious and well-written blog. It made me want to write about my life too. […]
I loved your story! I was hooked. It’s 12:04 AM by the way here in Dubai and I am still making this comment about your post, geez what does that say?
I meant to rest, hit the sack, get up tomorrow for work, and make sure to check WordPress, post a blog (gosh, being a member of Post A Day mean something again isn’t it?), and eat. A happy life of a blogger 😉
Thanks for swinging by, Yor! Glad that you enjoyed the story.
Bloggers are happily addicted, eh? It might cut into our sleep . . . but it’s worth it.