Worrying about other people's feelings
I shared my blog with an old friend a few days ago. I explained that I hadn't shared it in public.
I worry about what emotions I cause others. I don't want to make people feel guilty for not reading what I write. It happens beyond blog readership. I particularly stress about my treatment of service industry workers.
Yesterday at a cafe with my wife I wanted a strawberry milkshake. I've had one before at the same cafe so I knew they had them. But I accidentally said "smoothie" and when the waitress said they didn't have any strawberry smoothies I got stressed and said I didn't need one. But I caught myself, took a breath, and thought through what had gone wrong. I figured out I had said the wrong word, so I corrected myself. And got this! Unfortunately this story does not have a happy ending. I was so happy I drank it too fast and got a belly ache.
I had a similar experience last week when I went to get an eye exam. I wanted glasses. I've been resizing the text on my screen for about half a year now. I explained the problem and used the example of resizing text on a screen to illustrate how I knew I was having trouble. I also said that I was getting headaches.
After the exam he told me that he could give me glasses but it wasn't really necessary. He recommended I simply continue resizing the text on the screen. I was about to agree and leave without a prescription. After all, he is a doctor. But luckily I had the Loeb Edition of Homer's Iliad volume one in my bag. For those unfamiliar, Loebs are small finely printed books that have the original language on one side and English on the other. They are an excellent example of hard to read books for someone who needs glasses. Greek in particular has little marks called 'breathing marks' which distinguish words that start with an 'h' sound from those who don't. They are the bane of older Greek Scholars who find themselves no longer able to read them.
After I broke the news about books to the doctor he gave me the prescription. I got my glasses today and I love them so much. I got a few headaches earlier in the day, but now not so much. I'm a little dizzy, but wearing the glasses is actually decreasing rather then increasing my head pain. And I can read the breathing marks on my Greek!
I don't think I'll start sharing my blog on facebook. I want to reach those who either need or will enjoy it, and those aren't necessarily the same people who will click on a facebook link. But frankly that might be more a criticism of facebook then of my promotional abilities.
"I have been sharing it with friends who I think might enjoy it, but have resisted giving the link to everyone because whenever I see my friend post a link to their blog I don't read it, and then I feel guilty that I'm not reading it, and I don't want my friends to feel bad for not being interested."When I first started my blog I asked my wife if she had read much of it. She had not realised she was allowed to and was trying to give me the space I needed to write. Now she reads every day. It makes me so happy.
I worry about what emotions I cause others. I don't want to make people feel guilty for not reading what I write. It happens beyond blog readership. I particularly stress about my treatment of service industry workers.
Yesterday at a cafe with my wife I wanted a strawberry milkshake. I've had one before at the same cafe so I knew they had them. But I accidentally said "smoothie" and when the waitress said they didn't have any strawberry smoothies I got stressed and said I didn't need one. But I caught myself, took a breath, and thought through what had gone wrong. I figured out I had said the wrong word, so I corrected myself. And got this! Unfortunately this story does not have a happy ending. I was so happy I drank it too fast and got a belly ache.
I had a similar experience last week when I went to get an eye exam. I wanted glasses. I've been resizing the text on my screen for about half a year now. I explained the problem and used the example of resizing text on a screen to illustrate how I knew I was having trouble. I also said that I was getting headaches.After the exam he told me that he could give me glasses but it wasn't really necessary. He recommended I simply continue resizing the text on the screen. I was about to agree and leave without a prescription. After all, he is a doctor. But luckily I had the Loeb Edition of Homer's Iliad volume one in my bag. For those unfamiliar, Loebs are small finely printed books that have the original language on one side and English on the other. They are an excellent example of hard to read books for someone who needs glasses. Greek in particular has little marks called 'breathing marks' which distinguish words that start with an 'h' sound from those who don't. They are the bane of older Greek Scholars who find themselves no longer able to read them.
After I broke the news about books to the doctor he gave me the prescription. I got my glasses today and I love them so much. I got a few headaches earlier in the day, but now not so much. I'm a little dizzy, but wearing the glasses is actually decreasing rather then increasing my head pain. And I can read the breathing marks on my Greek!
I don't think I'll start sharing my blog on facebook. I want to reach those who either need or will enjoy it, and those aren't necessarily the same people who will click on a facebook link. But frankly that might be more a criticism of facebook then of my promotional abilities.
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