It's All Good -- BLOG CHALLENGE!

September first has come again.  College football starts tomorrow night, the pool closes on Monday, and for all intents and purposes (except for that equinox-thingy), summer is over.  This summer has been a strange one all around.  June was record-hot, and August was cool(ish) and rainy. 

I can't say the summer has been a bad one.  We have had a lot of fun at the pool, meeting new friends, and going to the park.  In all, I'd say we had a lot more fun than we did last year.  At the same time, though, there have been a lot more disruptions to our "peaceful and quiet life".  (Yes, try not to laugh at that one.)  While reading the blogs of some of my fellow writers and fellow special-needs moms, I feel like I am not the only one that has had a challenging summer.  I have read far too many posts about funerals, medical hurdles, life-threatening illnesses, emergencies, tragedies, sorrows, and medicial decisions no parent should ever have to make. 

I, myself, have had several surgeries since May began (including that one where I forcibly evicted my gall bladder after spending the entire day in the ER), have received more funeral notices than I ever wanted to see, suffered my own small losses, and hugged friends making difficult and painful choices.  At the other end of the spectrum, I have stood at the feet of some of the world's most collossal monuments and fulfilled some of my most treasured dreams.

 And, somewhere along the way, I fell off the writing bandwagon.  After almost an entire year of week-daily posting,  I have been struggling to get back on track.  Oddly enough (or perhaps not so oddly), I've been hearing that same complaint from a lot of my fellow bloggers.  For me, I can still see the funny in the world, but I have a hard time holding onto it long enough to put it in the blog.  If deep-thinking monologues were my style, I would have had a very productive summer, I suspect.

In the midst of all this, a "friend" of mine issued me a challenge to help break my writer's block.  (As you will see, friends like this make me question my judgment in people.)  Anyway, he suggested I write a blog about "The Ten Reasons Why You Should Read My Blog."  My response was not really printable in a PG blog.  I mean, can you think of a more egotistical topic?  (I think perhaps he missed the part where I write "self-deprecating humor".)  Okay, since I didn't like that idea, he suggested that perhaps I write a post explaining why it is I write.  Hmm.  Actually, I think that idea is ... even worse.  The "top ten" idea is like walking outside in a prom dress in the middle of July at lunchtime and screaming, "HEY!  LOOK AT ME!"  The "why I write" idea is like trying to sneak out the front door to get the newspaper at 5 PM, still in my bathrobe while the entire street has thrown a spontaneous a block party in my front yard.  I'd almost rather take the prom dress.
 
Then, I got to thinking.  I've written about pee, poop, loss of internal organs, my belly button issues, my son's habit of repeating curses I uttered a year ago, and a whole host of other embarrasing topics.  How much worse could this be?  After all, I have someone to blame.  I don't have to take responsibility for such an egotistical topic if I can claim that someone dared me to do it, right?  Because turning down a dare is just the responsible, adult-like thing that humor writers are known not to do.  Plus, it's a writing challenge, and I have writer's block.  How can I say no?  I can do this.  I can tell people why they should read my blog, and I can take it to the comedic level, and in all events, I can blame my friend for making me do it.
 
Then, I got to thinking a little bit longer ... and things got dangerous.  I decided that if I was going to accept the challenge of writing one of these two topics to help break my writer's block and re-establish my connection with the "funny" in the world, then why not share the pain?  Why not challenge YOU, my fellow bloggers and authors, to do the same thing?  Why not break your summer-jinx, or writer's block, or bad attitude, or whatever is plaguing you?
 
So, here it is.  I hereby challenge YOU to write a blog post on one of the following two topics.
 
1.  Ten Reasons Why You Should Read [Whatever it is I Write], or
2.  Why I Write.
 
If you want to be funny about it, that sounds great to me.  If you have a community service blog or other kind of web presence that makes sense to be serious, then be serious.  Your choice.  Just sit down, write it up, and we'll all link it up one week from today.  You can feel free to blame me entirely for the topic choice.  I'm expecting it.  In fact, I will be disappointed if you don't.  After all, I'm passing the buck, so why shouldn't you?
 
So, are you up for it?  One week from today, on September 8, 2010, I will post my Ten Reasons Why You Should Read My Blog, as I was dared to do by my (albeit rather questionable) friend.  I will also put in a link button on the bottom of that post for you to link your blog and share what you have written too.  If you want to commit to the challenge, please post a comment below.  If you would rather coast along and drop your link as a surprise next week, that's okay too.
 
One week, my friends.  One week.