Gack. My jaw tingles still.
This morning as I walked to work I passed a woman talking loudly into her Bluetooth which was hidden by her hair. A few feet away from her stood a homeless man talking loudly into all of us, and I smiled because save for a shower and clean clothes they looked the exact same, both of them conducting some sort of business that each thought was important. This is when I am happy: seeing the commonality between us, how we all struggle and plod on, multiply, laugh and then die. Dude, I KNOW, but honestly? Not one of us is ever truly alone.
Jet-puffed and easily spreadable.
Last night I got the sweetest email. From a reader telling me how much he appreciates my writing. I have gotten these before, the kindness of strangers who are more familiar than who. And I did what I always do: wrote him back to say thank you as effusively as possible even though punctuation is never enough. THANK YOU. In puffy paint and glitter, scratch & sniff scented like privet, clean sheets still warm from the dryer. Thank you to all of you, those that have emailed me and those that have not, commenters and lurkers the same. I admit that sometimes I have nothing to say. Sometimes I just want to watch The Soup or sew the loose buttons back onto my coat. More often than not I want to paint my toenails a dark, dark red. Sometimes I have thought about quitting this blog, but then I remember how much it has given me: a voice, a room, an echo even, though it is numerous reflections of sound, I believe, the time delay the distance divided by the speed of sound and multiplied by you.
And you and you and you. Thank you.
Happy Friday and fluffernutters,
S
20 comments:
love this post. love that you noticed the bluetooth person/homeless man's commonality.
that picture is awesome.
and love your blog!
have a fantastic weekend!
"scratch & sniff scented like privet"
Thanks for that.
No longer a lurker, now a commenter. Hopefully frequently. Because you're you and deserve to know we're out here.
Jane
OH SUSANNAH...
Love this post.
"None of us is really ever alone"!
Love it. Like I've said before...we are all alike and connected. There are more commonalities than not. (Unless we're talking about a serial killer).
I'm glad you didn't quit because I may never have found you. Your words exude emotion and restle up mine. Thanks for that.
Have a great weekend. I'll still be here...lurking and commenting when appropriate!
oh the sadness i'd feel if you quit writing PF. who else is going to find stuff as rad as "the breakfast song"?!!? THE all time best time i've ever had on the internet!!
{maybe i should start watching porn}
xo,
katie
i mainlined roasted red pepper hommus for lunch today.
I very much dislike the term "lurker" for those of us who don't feel the need to comment often, or even ever, on what you write. Obviously, we like it, or we wouldn't read it. You already have the ability to see how many visitors your site gets without all of us weighing in. I just feel it is rude and disrespectful to tag some readers with a derogatory term to no purpose.
JC--I probably read about 100 blogs a day, and maaaybeeee comment on one each day. I have never thought the term "lurker" was derogatory myself and I, of course, did not mean to offend you.
Thank you for reading :)
love you...
i almost made the mistake once of thinking a crazy person was sitting next to me on a subway platform. it was actually a dad talking to his newborn. i know what you mean. please don't go away.
Not to cause trouble, but rather; appease- The word "lurker" is a very common and acceptable term in the dubya dubya dubya. Simply, those who read, but don't comment. No biggie :)
-bro
Please don't ever stop! I just learned about your blog recently, by listening to a podcast, The Skirted Roundtable. Megan Arquette (sp?) mentioned how she's envious of how well you write. I'd never heard of you, so thought I'd check you out. OMG...I LOVE your writing style. You are so talented and hilarious! I'm checking in regularly now. You are so cool!
Mary
Please,please,oh please(insert a million more pleases here)dont ever quit!I would be so,so lost without my Petunia Face to turn to on those maudlin days,the ones that just dont seem to have a glimmer of hope in them.It is than when I am at my lowest that I rememberI have forgotten to read my(yes I call it my because it is mine to read and I can call it that since noone else in my house reads it)Petunia Face blog.And it is in that special moment that I brighten just a flicker,knowing that surely Suzannah wont let me down,she will have something,even if its just a picture or video(how can I forget those crazy 2 weeks when I couldnt stop singing Jesus is my friend?It just wouldnt go away)or a sentence that affects,touches or brings out some emotion in me that says hey all is not lost,if I can smile,weep,empathize,laugh,whatever than all is not loss.Simplified:Your blog makes me happy.
I agree Suzannah lurker is used quite often in everyday internet speak and is not meant to imply a lurker as in a perv lurking around your window or on the street corner,it is meant as someone just observing but not speaking or commenting.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lurker:
In Internet culture, a lurker is a person who reads discussions on a message board, newsgroup, chatroom, file sharing or other interactive system, but rarely or never participates actively. Research indicates that "lurkers make up over 90% of online groups" Lack of trust represents one of the reasons explaining lurking behavior.
I will admit that I mostly lurk(is that a word?I dont know but works for me)when reading your blog,and rarely comment,but that is mostly due to the fact that I am usually too tired or busy or lazy to comment.However,I always comment in my head even when I dont comment on your blog.And heres 2 comments today to make up for a future blog that I dont comment on.
I always see the bluetoothers and giggle inside, I love people talking to themselves. Your writing always triggers so many emotions, you have a gift and I am thankful you share it here!
~S
Oh and I love the sparkle blown kiss, however I believe the gal could use some of your fluff!
This post was beautiful! Not in like a sunny day picnic in a meadow kind of beautiful, but in a makes you stop and think kind of beautiful. And I agree with you that its great that you write in your blog. Writing is so theraputic and keeps our sanity.
where did you find that picture of me?
And thank you for writing, and sharing your thoughts with us.
that photo is AWESOME. and the dress? i must have it!
lurkers like perverts. i love your writing. it makes me happy. evenwhenit makes me sad. i still can't stop thinking about "edie" the dog. or everything else.
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