Got My "Bliss"ter - Recap

In the whirlwind of Blissdom and the enormity of Opryland hotel, I bet every single attendee went home with a blister on their feet. I also bet that you got a "Bliss"-ter as well. This is that little spot inside of you that got rubbed raw. That is why I went to Blissdom, to take that little part of me that I call a blogger and get it rubbed until it throbbed and swelled; causing me to take notice.

I've been a blogger for a long time. An antique in this virtual space. Antiques get dusty and sometimes lose their original purpose. An antique dough bowl starts being used as a conversation piece and forgets its purpose as a dough bowl. Although still nice, its not doing what it was created to do. Likewise this blog has forgotten its purpose. 

Now that I have my "Bliss"-ter I intend to put this antique back into is purpose. The 365 pictures were fun, but it had nothing much to do with "Coloring Outside The Lines" (I will continue to do them John, but they will be available on my Flickr stream, so they don't clutter the purpose here) I will go back to writing here with INTENTION and not let my unique voice be silenced. I will strive towards a consistency and integrity with all of you. I will go back to taking the voices of others who are "Coloring Outside The Lines" and sharing them with you here. I will go back to strengthening my community, which is a place where we laugh at the crayon on the walls together. 

I will write with intention and make no apologies.

I had a wonderful time while I was getting my "Bliss"-ter. I learned as much from my fellow bloggers as I did from speakers and panels. Each of us there had a unique lesson to teach and some taught me even though they assumed they were just attendees. I know this post is getting long (for me) but let me introduce you to some of my teachers. I'm going to introduce you to just a few a day for the next week.

Dutch Being Me and Erin - I met up with these two for several weeks before Blissdom and we shared our fears of the whole "conference" bit. If any of the two of them were nervous at all, it never showed. Both of them have a powerful voice and magnetic personalities. Wherever they went they were surrounded by others. Their graciousness and willingness to share their experiences make them powerhouses in this virtual space. It seemed every single moment I began to feel my introvert showing like a slip under a dress; they were there. Taking my hand and leading me back in, I felt safe and confidence was renewed!

This picture is of me and LawMomma.
I have followed her, stalked her, laughed and cried with her for a while now. I couldn't WAIT to get to meet her in person. When you meet these bloggers in person, you have shared so much it is certainly like just getting together with an old friend again. But some of these blogger, like LawMomma...you blog worship. They speak to you in a way that inspires you, crushes you, makes you giggle and bonds you. I finally had a free moment that I got to look her square in the eyes and tell her how much I truly idolize her. When she looked back at me and opened her mouth....I LEARNED. She was stunned that I liked her that much. Shocked that I thought she was worthy. She seemed to act as though she felt that I was better than her. Talk about a teaching moment. When we use our voice on the internet, we don't know who we are reaching...who we are affecting...and who can't wait to really meet us. I am no better than she. My voice isn't more powerful. We are both bloggers. We are the same. There were several times that someone walked up to me and said they couldn't wait to meet me and like LawMomma; I was shocked. Shocked to learn that my voice was powerful. Shocked that I was worthy. We both learned something. To someone out there we are something worthy.