Disclaimer: By the time you get to the end of this post, you may be wondering what on earth a rural roadside fire hydrant has to do with the subject of this post. Absolutely NOTHING. I just could not for the life of me think of anything creative or clever to post on the subject of a rural roadside fire hydrant, or why I find it to be such an appealing subject for a picture. I just do, okay?

Now, with THAT question out of the way...does anyone remember that old song by ZZ Top (does anyone even remember that BAND?!) called something like "You Got Me Under Pressure!"?

So I've got a website up and actually functioning now...putting into practice (while still learning) tactics I've learned about networking and SEO stuff and marketing and all that gibberish. The uncomfortable thing about all this is that as my audience grows...if I don't come up with something palatable to DELIVER, if I don't pay attention to spelling and grammar, and all those other irritatingly significant details...I could very well LOSE them. So now, I'm under pressure.

Pressure is a peculiar thing. It seldom FEELS good to the one it's being applied to. But then, if intimidating demands are never made, would we ever grow, improve, learn, stretch ourselves and sometimes even discover that we can go BEYOND what we thought we could do?

Everyone has their strong points and their weak points. Me? I have a tendency to start many things but follow through with few. I blame it on attention deficit disorder seasoned with a touch of obsessive compulsive disorder. I have many interests in many things and so tend to be shamefully easily distracted. When intensely focused on one thing, I lean toward neglecting other needful things. Perhaps DISORDERS is a wrong way to look at such personal 'issues'...I propose that it may be better to view such things as CHALLENGES, designed specifically for our uniquely individual personalities to bring out the best in us, when we dare to face them and with diligence, learn to not only master our weaknesses but learn to USE them, much as the body builder uses resistance to reshape his body.

Seven years ago, I joined a blogging community called Mindsay. It was here that I discovered a surprisingly unexpected ability to share the mundane events of my everyday life in words and pictures in such a way as to bring immense entertainment to others...to share joy and contentment and stir fond memories. I gained a following of some most incredible people. Sadly, the pressures and demands of everyday life began to overwhelm me and I spent less and less time nurturing my gift. For those who cared enough to miss my absence, forgive me. I now recognize this as my niche, a gift and an endeavor for which I was meant to pursue. I want to reactivate it, nurture it, develop it, and even more importantly, share it with whoever may be hungry for it.

Sojo is back. My gift is no longer a play thing or experiment, it's a commitment. It's what I'm meant to do. BUT...it's got me under pressure.

artwerksbydonna.com