good point...

Shelley is one of my favorite writers in the blog world. There are elements of surprise and generosity in her well-written entries. And she is fearless at saying what she thinks. She reminds me of Old Testament prophets -- creative with words, truthful, thoughtful, brave. She was away for a few weeks (days?), and I missed reading her. I am not sure if she would think such a comparison is a positive thing, but it is meant that way. Certainly, she is a major blog philosopher.

Shelley (Like a Frog and a Fly) reminds bloggers about putting some perspective in what we do -- read the whole post to understand the frog analogy -- but here's a key excerpt:

All of which leads me back to my recent trip. When I was in Florida, and on the trip down and back, I deliberately avoided the Internet and all
aspects of weblogging - a very rare event for me. It was good to get out of the
daily cycle of read, read, read feel amused/interested/uninterested/outraged/sad/impassioned, react, write, write,
write, feel depressed/satisfied/dissatisfied/silly/happy, react, and repeat.
After a while, just the appearance of a weblogger or a word is enough to
generate a reaction. It can get exhausting, like being a frog at an
airport.

While in Florida, though, surrounded by people with shielded minds,
hidden thoughts, and past experiences and future hopes totally hidden from view,
I was able to experience events at face value and just let them happen. I did
not have to pay attention to the happiness or not of those around me; did not
have dig deep to find the hidden meaning of every overheard word; did not have
to react except at the most primitive, and immediately rewarding
level.