Have I mentioned that at times, I’m a compulsive worrier? I have extremely hyperactive imagination glands, which doesn’t bother me as a rule, but when they take these side trips into the Lands of Worriment and Angst, things can become a little complicated. This happens a few times a week.
I worry about everyone. Friends and family, Tom, the crack hos in my neighborhood– no one is immune from my fretting. I also worry about those whose blogs I read. There are some in the Blog World who have serious illnesses, and some who probably have just decided to stop blogging. They may have decided that they have better things to do, which, while this strikes me as almost completely impossible, could actually be true. But I need closure, dammit. I need a little teeny tiny post that says something like, “I have decided that this blogging thing bores the crap out of me. I will instead pursue my love of bass fishing and stringing chandeliers.” It drives me crazy when someone drops off the face of the universe, even if it’s the Blog Universe.
My blogging buddy Wendy was sick last week. She posts regularly, and we e-mail each other a couple of times a week. Thank goodness her husband Buck was kind enough to post health updates on her blog, otherwise her change in pattern would have worried a bunch of us to no end.
I could be hit by a train tomorrow. A land shark could devour one of my blog friends in a heartbeat. An asteroid could hit the southern U.S. and take out twelve people whose words I read several times a week.
So anyway, I put together the Blogger Emergency ID card shown above, and I urge you to print it out and carry it with you in your wallet. If (heaven forbid), something should happen to you or your typing fingers, it will put me (and many others) at ease to know what happened. If you get hit by a giant asteroid, I’ll read about it in the newspaper.
Thanks for understanding.
Next: How my worrying almost gave a priest an aneurysm.
You so rock. This is great. I am printing it out now. LOL. Seriously.
I, too, am grateful that Buck posted about Wendy. I would have really worried too.
One day I will send you some beaded worry dolls that take your worries away. And yes, you rock!!!!
That sign is soooooo Moonbeam.
haha, great idea. a bit of a catch-22 for someone like me who maintains an anonymous/pseudonymous blog though!
I love this card! Brilliant!
@ LM: I’m so glad you like it, and are printing it. You’d be one of the ones I’d most worry about!
@ thebeadden: I’d wear the beads out in one day!
I’ll bet they’d be lovely though.
I keep meaning to send Joan Harvest over to your site. Joan, if you’re reading this, go toe the bead den! Great site, especially for your upcoming projects.
@ sulz: Hmmmm… I have the same catch. On the back side, you could write: “Note: Do not divulge my name when leaving comment.” I should have included something like that– sort of like an organ donor specification thing. “Eyeballs only– leave my spleen.”
@ Adam: I’m glad you like it– I’m serious about it!
Compulsive worrier? Jeez, you’ve never mentioned THAT before moonie! This post really struck home, thanks for writing it!
I started thinking about this stuff too while Wendy was ill. I was simultaneously surprised, embarrassed, worried, creeped out, and sad in the absence of fresh words from this person whom I’d never met. “Strange family” as joanharvest labelled it. As is my custom, I failed to draw any solid conclusions, but your Blogger Emergency Card is a wonderful idea! Closure indeed. Blogs and posts and all things interweb are so ephemeral and fleeting, like thoughts in our heads, electrons dancing here and there …
It WAS really great of Buck to pitch in and post for Wendy’s blog-a-day blog. Troopers da boat of ‘em! Bless their El Paso asses!
Remember that soldier who’d left a posthumous post with another blogger in his group? That was heavy on my mind in Wendy’s absence.
sulz makes a good point, which resonates with the fleeting nature of it all. The anonymous/pseudonymous folks are perfectly free to come and go as they please, like people getting on and off of subway trains, they can sit next to us for a few miles, and then never be seen again. Another beautiful dimension of the INTERNET.
@ David: LOL. I haven’t? I thought I had. Now I’m going to worry about dementia.
Wow, I loved your comment. You see things from many angles, Grasshopper. I was just talking to Tom today about the soldier’s post. I’ll never forget it.
Being fairly new to this whole blogging biz, there are still surprises that come up. One thing that I’ve discovered is that it can be quite an emotional experience. I was reading the comments on one of Romi’s posts one night, and came across this message:
“LOvely post I got to spend my valentines day finding out that i had cancer
by kaylee2 February 15, 2008 at 8:28 pm”
It stopped me in my tracks. I went to her blog and read all about this incredible teenager, who’s just a little younger than my own daughter. She had a heart transplant at the end of last year, and by the first month and a half of this one, she was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer. You wonder how some people can be given so much to bear. I sat for the longest time, reading every one of her posts, and about her life. She has this great spirit, and ….ugh. I can’t go on with this. It’s making me cry. But she hasn’t posted since then, and it just breaks my heart.
The last paragraph of your comment is just beautiful. The fleeting, strangers on a train nature of this all is really lovely. It’s timely and timeless all at once. I still get connected to some of those strangers though, which is why you should IMMEDIATELY fill out your Blogger’s ID Card!
Do I need a separate card for each of my blogs or do you think that one will suffice? I needed the chuckle!
thanks
Abbe
@ Abbe: Just one for the blog I read!
Are your other blogs listed on your blog? Shoot. Never mind. I’ll go find out.
@ Abbe: Three- two for you, one for Indigo.
By the way, I found out that I don’t have MS. Just really bad symptoms of Fibromyagia and a case of tendonitis. So one less blog buddy to worry about!!!
I love your emergency ID card. It’s funny because it’s true. I was really surprised when I found out Buck was posting on my blog, and I was too sick to even touch a computer and read what the hell he was saying. But it was very sweet, and I was really touched by everyone’s concern. I think we’re all similar in nature, which is why we’re reading each other’s blogs, and when something changes we wonder what’s going on. The bloggers who drop off the radar out of boredom have every right to, but like you I wish they’d hang a Gone Fishin’ sign or something.
This is a fantastic idea..you care about us so much….thanks moonbeam! (I am putting this in my wallet,as we speak, along with my “in case of emergency feed my cat” and “in case of emergency tell that guy who I stalk that I won’t be able to meet him every night in the parking garage of his office anymore” cards!)
Thanks…I’ll be sure to use three cards…Don’t tell anyone, but I usually help Indigo a bit with her writing. Her eyesight is not what it used to be.
I think I need another blog where I let the funny out…
Guess I’ll need 4 cards
hahahaa! Oh so very true, McQueenie .. i worry as well.
I’ll rock the card, dont you worry!
This card is most useful. I think you should quickly withdraw it from your blog, lest somebody finds it and sells it on Ebay.
This is really “andar previsto” as the Spaniards say for “go with foresight”. They do not have it. Every year some of them nearly suffer a heat collapse because they did not take a sun cap along to the bull fight. You see them trying to shield themselves from a blazing late afternoon sun: holding a program over their good old bold heads! holding a ticket in the air above the bold spot! holding a caramel paper up!
and feeling proud about their gift for improvisation. Really.
Your form makes perfect sense to me. Hee, hee.
As a fellow worrier…I totally understand. Funny you should post this. I am worried about MermaidMuse. She seemed very sad lately. I went there yesterday and the blog is deleted. Then I thought well I can email her just to make sure…that is closed down too. :O
I was telling my husband about my concerns this morning. A non-blogger and a logical man he just said well, maybe she moved.
I tried to explain..well, SHE DIDN’T TELL US! No goodbye or anything! He just looked at me like I am getting little unbalanced about this blogging thing.
Maybe he is right…I have no idea who she really is. Plus, she was in Scotland so there isn’t a damn thing I can do, but still…it haunts me because she talked of walking along THE CLIFFS of Scotland!! I know all of you understand..right?
it is as if a good neighbor moved out during the night without saying a word. My mind tends to start thinking all kind of worrisome things.
This is why I AM A RECLUSE …now I am worrying about bloggers..maybe I should
re-think the blogging thing. I already “make up” enough to worry about outside the blog world!!!
Hmmm….should we add our blogs in our wills? Or at least instructions of what to do in case of our demise.
You’re so adorable! I love this emergency card.
@ ghetto girl: THANK YOU! I appreciate the update. When I read that post, I was thinking that a lot of it was very familiar. But the not being able to keep your balance was worrying me. I’m so glad you got good news! Fibro sucks, but it’s maneuverable.
Can you link your name to your blog, so that people can get to your site from your comments?
@ Wendy: It’s so nice to see you here again! Your illness was part of the impetus for this card. I think it was really great of Buck to update us, otherwise, I would have called and bugged you. I’m serious.
@ romi: You have a lot of people to keep informed! Thanks for adding this to your list of cards. Don’t forget to let Horace know.
@ Abbe: Indigo is such a sweetie. I’m glad you’re taking dictation for her. I have the same moody blog dilemma as you do, but usually I just post it all right here. I have a blog a day blog, which I never keep up with, and a fibromyalgia blog, where I whine. Usually, I just dump whatever’s in my head right here, which sometimes makes me feel sorry for those who read it.
@ Red: Yay! Thank you! See? You’re good about this. I would have worried about you a lot during your snowstorm, but you managed to pop in a time or two and let us know what was going on. Very thoughtful.
@ cantueso: Your description of the bald bullfight watchers was hilarious! Have you gotten to witness this in person? I’d love to attend one. Of course, I’d wear sunscreen and a hat…
@ gypsy: I get this from Tom too. When I’m about to start blogging, he often says, “You run off and play Foosball with your friends.”
I talk to him about this nice connection between us all, and how I care about certain bloggers as much as some of my 3-D friends. He gets to hear me worry about some of them, or about the hilarious goings on in their lives. At first, I think he thought it was crazy (well, he does think that I’m crazy), but now he understands my appreciation of the fact that there are real people that I care about behind those blogs. Sometimes we get to know things about each other that we’d never share out in the “real world,” and this in a way makes for closer connections, and more caring. I do understand about Mermaid, and I hope you hear from her soon.
Since not everyone’s wired the same, people just have different ways of viewing their blogs. For some, it’s business, for others it’s therapy, for some it’s just a creative outlet and for some, it’s just something to do from time to time. So I guess we shouldn’t be too worried or surprised when someone just stops doing it. Still…..I worry, and apparently, so do a lot of others.
It may not be necessary to will our blogs to people, but there should definitely be an addendum in there where our readers can be informed!
@ kimiam: Does this mean you’re going to use it? You’d be one of the ones I’d worry about!
This is such a good idea!
)
BTW…I got an update on Betme (DisIsMyPlace)…she has been VERY ill but is doing much better.
blimey… I’m scared you might have read my mind. I’ve left a blog for you moonbeam, but I’ll still be around now and then but I know what what you mean… I didn’t want to just disappear cos I always worry when other people do.
Dude I totally love that card and I’m so going to use it. I’m even going to take it to my fellow EMT’s, Paramedics and Fire to show them its important to let the blogger community know what’s going on.
Awww I love it. haha But its soooo true. I have many people who I care about that blog and I have not heard from them in months… some even years. The thought becomes depressing… you just want to know is if they are a.o.k. and that they found something else exciting in there life that keeps them from blogging.
For you – and only you – I shall carry this card. I’ll also attach a copy with my login info to my will so Saint Gradon or whomever can close things out.
I’ve got to tell you I’m dying to know how your worrying almost gave a priest an aneurysm. Preists don’t seem to get fazed too easy…
@ Lucky: Thanks for the update! You never know if it’s something serious or just boredom that ends these things. That’s what drives me nuts! I’m glad she’s doing better.
@ Narnie: I read your post, and I’m sad.
One of us was doing some mind reading it seems. I’ve been having the same dilemma you have, and I’m glad you’re concentrating on your writing. I’ll miss your presence (and your fantastic posts) but you’ve made a wise choice. I hope you’ll give me a heads up when your book comes out.
@ alyssasudds: Maybe the various emergency agencies could just start printing them out as a public service!
You’re right– it’s just nice to get a final farewell (or a temporary one) to keep from worrying. Otherwise, it’s like watching a soap opera that gets canceled, right when Gordon’s about to propose to Alicia, and Jenny’s planning to kill her evil twin— a never ending cliffhanger.
@ Maxine: THANK YOU!!!! Sending you big hugs for that one.
@ leaf: Oh my god. I’m still trying to calm down from it. Believe me, the story’s coming.
Your avatar and pictures make me smile.
I’m so glad!
[...] would they think you were merely suffering from a prolonged bout of writer’s block? Well here’s a fun idea. The Blogger’s Emergency ID Card. Don’t leave your blog without [...]
I just printed 200 of these IDs. I’m gonna stick them up everywhere.
I, too, worry about everything.
And, the people who just suddenly quit blogging are either dead or just plain rude.
If they are dead, may they RIP. If they are rude, may they develop a life-long itchy skin problem on their buttocks!
TPBarbie: I think you may have just developed an official Blogger’s Curse! I’m glad you’re making use of the card.
Wonderful idea. I don’t know that my daughter would think to post to my blog family if I was sick. Thank goodness Buck did for Wendy. My sister and I were having a fit trying to figure out how we would get to El Paso. Now I just checked Betme at DisIsMyPlace and she hasn’t posted since Feb. 15th. I have been wondering if she’s OK.
I will faithfully carry my card with me forever.
Oh, and I’ll stop by the bead den. Thanks for that. I also decided I want to make an alter for all my saintly candles and Buddhas and crystals. I just have to figure out how.
LOL Joan. I guess it’s like those movies where the happily married man suddenly gets a knock at the door, and the kid he never knew existed is standing on the porch. Lucky says that Betme’s been very sick, but is doing better.
I think you’ll like the bead den, and thank you for carrrying your card (especially when you drive over that bridge, okay?).
I worry too.
I know my lack of posting probably had you worried (if it didn’t, lie to me and say it did so I don’t feel stupid).
I’ve just written 3 new posts. Now that I’m actually having to work, and am stuck using a dial-up connection at home, my posts have dropped off a bit.
Alyson, it did worry me for a bit, but then you posted a few times, so I knew you were okay. I haven’t been responding because my brain’s not working well, but I have been reading. Duhhhh… I didn’t realize that you were a postal carrier now! Wow, are you going to have some great stories to tell! I think that would be a fascinating job.
If I am actually dead, I won’t mind a person close to me posting my real name—maybe it would be nice for fellow bloggers to finally know! I am taking your card very seriously. If someone stops coming to a group I belong to, I usually know their name and can look them up if I want to, but a blogger can just stop! I’ve experienced this and it is frustrating. Perhaps we can leave one of your cards in the envelope with our wills or other documents instructing the survivors to post an obit. on the blog!
I’m so glad you’re taking it seriously, mused. I agree. I think the same thing about cell phones. It’s really easy to drop off the face of the earth these days, and it drives me crazy.
Blog obits are a fantastic idea!!!
I’ll definitely use the card!
Yay! “The Card. Don’t leave home without it.”
I may have to steal this (with attribution, of course
)
Brilliant.
~m
Steal away, Michael (and thanks for the attribution). I’m glad you like the idea.
[...] folks, it’s the Blogger Emergency ID card. Print it out and use it. It may come in handy someday all depending on your actual date of [...]
[...] some sort of neurotic nirvana.A few weeks ago, I promised to tell you about how I’d almost given a priest an aneurysm with my compulsive fretting. I’m still traumatized from the experience, but a promise is a [...]
[...] folks, it’s the Blogger Emergency ID card. Print it out and use it. It may come in handy someday all depending on your actual date of [...]
[...] a post some time ago, Moonbeam McQueen created a blogger’s Emergency I.D. Card. I thought it was a timely idea, and I salute her. [...]
This is great