If a Tree Falls in the Forest...

I was scratching my head all week wondering what I was going to post on Monday. Well today is Monday, nearing the end of Monday actually and I don't have anything. It's almost 5pm on the west coast of the US, and I haven't posted anything yet. I have a bunch of things in the works though guest bloggers and other new ideas for directions to take. But I was struggling with an idea today that I just couldn't seem to shake, and because of that I have ditched my plan to write about some organizations I think are great. I think I'll save that for next week.




This week I've been thinking about the whole tree falling in the forest thing. You know what I mean, if a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound? Well, if no one is regularly reading my blog (or very few) does it make an impact? Is it worth doing? I've struggled with this question for most of my adult life first with teaching and now with writing my blog, a novel and these little freelance articles.







The conclusion I have come to is that I have to start asking myself some really hard questions. Who am I doing this work for? Who or what measures my impact? What is the end goal? Is it enough to feel satisfaction of completing something and putting it out there for whoever may stumble upon it?

That's what I have so far, and I don't have the answers. I may never feel like I have the answers, but I'll be working toward them.  It's so hard to stay focused on the journey of the present when you have hands from the past and future grabbing at you all the time. That's what this time of not really working is supposed to be for me, and I'm starting to make strides to get there.

With that in mind, here's some news for whoever may read this. I'm planning an impromptu and so very random adventure across the Pacific that will happen in just a couple short weeks. While reconnecting with friends, I'm hoping to sit back and enjoy the journey finding
lots of stories to tell along the way.