I've Got Answers

Last Tuesday my camo-cast came off. The doctor told me I was free to walk to my heart's content now, using only one crutch. He said I was to be my own physical therapist by doing deep lunges and writing the alphabet in large, swoopy letters with my ankle. Just wear this little brace thingy and all's swell. I was pretty excited by all of this, actually. No physical therapy appointments? I can walk again? Awesome!

Yeah, in theory: awesome. In real life: not happening. Except for the swell part. There's plenty of that going on.

My foot/ankle/leg continue to be puffy, tender, achy, and swollen when not elevated. Heck, even when it is elevated it looks like aliens abducted my formerly normal right foot and replaced it with someone else's. But I'm dealing with it. I'm making myself put pressure on it and stretch those muscles back to where they used to be and I'm doing my best to find the good in everything.

In fact, today I made myself walk to the kitchen using only one crutch in a sort of half-hobble half-hop kind of gait. I then promptly rewarded myself with a bowl of ice cream and a cookie. I'm not going to get THAT kind of awesome treatment at any physical therapy office!

Anyway, between chillin' with my sweet little chub-o, putting myself through physical torture and trying to get my life back to normal, I've been neglecting my blog. Would you mind helping me with that?

Here's what you do:

This week I will leave the comments open on this post for you to ask me questions. Ask me whatever you want, and I will answer. Most answers I'll give in the comments, but some questions I'll answer as a post. Anything you've always wanted to ask me? Ask away! Have a silly/serious/sarcastic question? Every single question will receive an answer.

It's sort of like the Reader Appreciation Day I did last year. (Actually, it's exactly like that. Except for answering in posts, too.)

Ready?

Ask away!

It's Not You, It's Me

I have made a decision.

After today's post, I am going to turn off my comments.

I have decided as of late that blogging is consuming way too much of my time. However, I can not give it up entirely. I love having a place to express myself, record my family's happenings and share my thoughts with others. Honestly, your comments are a large part of what makes my blog so awesome. But here is what happens. I read your comments. If you are someone new, I click over to your blog and read to get to know who you are. I sometimes leave comments on your posts. Once I have done this, I have made it known that I am a reader on your blog and I feel like I am now obligated to continue commenting.

But wait, there's more...

I also notice other commenters on your blogs. They capture my interest and I then click over to their blogs to read. I see catchy blog titles on your blog rolls and read more blogs. I comment and read and subscribe to my favorites. And then I start to wonder... why doesn't so-and-so read my blog or comment? I've read theirs and commented many times. Maybe I'm not cool enough for their blog presence. Maybe they read my comments on their blog and wonder who the heck I am and why I bother to keep coming back?

Seriously, it's like high school all over again.

So I stop commenting. Then I start again, but only sometimes. Throughout the process I find more new blogs to peruse... etcetera, etcetera. If I wrote a blog post that day, I have to keep checking throughout the day to see if I have received any new comments, making the time to respond to everyone who stops by so they will not feel the way I do when I leave comments that end up feeling all lonely and ignored.

The next thing I know it is 2 hours past time to make dinner, the laundry is undone, my stairs are littered with Legos and my smallest children have somehow managed to decorate the white wainscot in our front room with 6 colors of Sharpie while feeding themselves leftover oatmeal.

Honestly? I am embarrassed to even admit to all of this, but it is what it is. My name is Gerb, and I have a blogging addiction. (Here is where you say, "Hello, Gerb!")

I do not want to care about how many people are following my blog or how many people are leaving comments. I can not make myself worry over why I feel inferior to certain other bloggers. I do not have time for all of this silly drama I am creating for myself.

So please understand - it's not you. It's me. I hope this isn't a break-up, but an opportunity for growth. I will continue to write and I hope you will continue to enjoy what I post.

For the sake of my own sanity, this is what I need to do.

Can we still be friends?