So Kristen made a comment the other day that got me thinking.
You’ve read Kristen’s blog, I know. This doesn’t surprise you.
In answering the following question on her “Everything Meme”—“How many people are you sending this to?”—she replied, “Over 6 billion in potency.”
Wow. She’s right, you know. That’s the power of the Internet. That’s the potential.
What would you do if you had that many people reading you? Would you change your style? How about your content? I have about 200 faithful readers a day, give or take the weekend decline and the occasional shout-out from Danielle (which always causes that little graph thingie to shoot up like a rocket and then drop back down just as rapidly. My son’s like, whoa!)
So those are the ripples in my little pond. I am blessed in them but I try not to overly focus on the stats. To do so is to fall prey to ambition of a most unwelcome nature.
And I hope you don’t mind my being up front about all of this. Honesty to the point where it’s painful; that’s my goal! : )
“It’s just a blog,” my husband keeps saying. This keeps me grounded and it also reminds me that everything I do, if done in God, is to His glory.
Still, I have to admit that sometimes, while scanning my Sitemeter stats, I get so curious. For example, who in Bejing is reading me so consistently? You little lurker, you!
This thread at the 4RealLearning Forum is also running a discussion of the people “out there” who might be reading our humble efforts: the dads, the grandmas, the college professors, the friends-of-a-friend. I was very surprised the other day at church when the father of one of the women from my homeschool co-op approached me. Touching me lightly on the arm, he said shyly, “I sneak a peek at your blog from time to time, you know.”
“So you’re the one!” I exclaimed, and he blushed. I can be so obnoxious in my teasing and should just stop it.
Seriously, though, I know him to be a highly intelligent and highly spiritual man. Yes, I was honored.
Isn’t this all truly something? We will never fully know the ways that God is making use of us.
Not here and now, that is.
And in any case, our knowing all of this should not be the measure of our success. Do we have children, though? Now there’s a beautiful yardstick!
I’d like to close with a handful of Google referrals that I’ve been gleaning from all those aforementioned stats. There are people out there who have been doing searches for the following, and instead they just got….me.
- crunchy pediatricians in minneapolis, mn (Do you see now why we find these so entertaining? I’m like, what in the world?)
- good sledding hills in Minnesota (At least that one’s understandable)
- beautiful resources (I don’t know that they found what they’re looking for, but I’m flattered.)
- pictures kitchen window views (Remember that one?)
- mommy offering prayer (I was one of the top two links! Followed by “Hindu Mommy at wordpress.com”)
- sample what to write in appreciation of parents on their 50th wedding anniversary (This search took them to the Loveliness of Romance, and surely they couldn’t go wrong there.)
- depressed 40 mom (Hey, now!)
And if I hadn’t been depressed before reading that last one, there’s always…
- clip art of tired mother (To which I say, Amen and Proud of it.)
Have a blessed weekend, friend! Let’s talk tomorrow.
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