Can We Talk?

No, I mean for real. Can we just sit and talk? Can I pretend you have a cup of coffee just like me and we can sit and talk for hours about everything that crosses our minds in no particular order? No? You don't wanna read the same post for hours? Hmm. You're kidding.

That's the downside to blogger-friends versus the friends we have IRL (in real life). In real life, we wouldn't talk to our friends like we post but rather just spew off all those things that come into our minds in complete randomness. We would interrupt each other, nod in support, cry with each other, draw off each others' laughs and it would be bliss. If we had a something that was eating us up inside we would talk through it together. It's natural. It's sincere. It's real.

When you blog, it's hard to open a conversation that's too deep in a post because you wouldn't be able to finish your story or explain it thoroughly without writing a 14 page post that no one would read. Or maybe they would.. but you wouldn't know for sure because you can't see their face or their reaction and then you'd lay awake at night wondering if they think you're an idiot or if they actually read it all and see your point..at least that's what I would do.

And blogging isn't necessarily the best place to post your incomplete random thoughts either. I mean, would you follow a blog that kept posting one-liners? Probably not. But sometimes, 140 characters just isn't enough. Sometimes, you want to make random comments about something, nothing or anything in between with a little bit of details and more feedback. If you have a ton to say about it, surely you would write a post. But, if the content is lacking or doesn't fit on Twitter or looks like a story in a Facebook status update does that mean it's not worth mentioning? Does that mean you just keep it to yourself and let it clutter your mind until the first innocent bystander is bombarded by all those little thoughts that have been eating away at you?

If you've noticed, I haven't posted much lately. (If you haven't noticed, don't tell me cause that would mean your world doesn't revolve around me and I can't come to terms with that yet.) All I've done recently are a few easy Wordless Wednesday posts (which by the way, I missed even that today). And I've thrown in a few contest entries (I really want that camera!), but nothing more deep than that. Is it because I'm too busy? Nah. I was busy before. I'm always busy, it's called being a mom. Is it because I can't think of anything to write? Nope. You can't shut me up. My mind never stops working. And since I started blogging..it never stops writing posts - you know, virtually... in my mind.

So why the silence? I believe my mind has been loaded beyond it's physical capacity. It's actually starting to smoke. It's hard to type when you're surrounded by smoke.

I know what you're thinking. Is there any point to this post? Yes, of course. I'm making this my official "Mind Sweep" meme announcement. I did the first Mind Sweep post right after I started blogging. It was basically a post about a million things I needed to get off my chest that I either didn't think would fill a post on it's own or I knew I wasn't going to get to it anytime soon. I like to think of it as a sort of therapy. The kind of therapy you can only get from talking to a friend. For real.

So, here's what I'm thinking. I want to do this Mind Sweep thing every Monday morning. I figure it would serve a few purposes for us: 1) Clear our minds for the week ahead 2)Trigger brainstorming that could lead to some good post ideas for the week and 3)Build a tighter friendship between us.

Here are the "rules":

1. Write a post listing the first 20 things that come to mind. Of course, if you don't have 20 things, that's okay. If you have more than that, that's okay too. 20 is just a target. Tell us a little, tell us a lot, whatever it takes to clear your mind and make you feel like you just got a chance to talk to a friend.

2. Adding my Mind Sweep button to your post is appreciated, but not required. I will add the button on my sidebar to easily grab each week.

3. Come here to link up your post.

4. Grab a cup of coffee and pick a few other links to read and READ THEM.

5. Actually leave comments. We all have readers that read our blog faithfully but never comment. If you are one of those that likes to stay in the shadows, today's the day to come out. You can't make friends with someone you never talk to.

So clear your thoughts. Find your floor. Get on with life. And maybe make a few new friends along the way when you "Mind Sweep!"