South by Southwest: Intersecting paths

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Intersecting paths

Railroad tracks are a good illustration for life's path. Unexpected forces keep us on the path or push us off of it. These forces include events, losses, career challenges, family crises, and changes in health. And we depend on the support of others as we try to stay on the path and move forward, or temporarily rest on a side track. The support of family, friends and acquaintances is most important, but online words are also very welcome.

Why do we admire people we do not know because of what they write online? We might feel as if they are "kindred spirits." Or it purely a matter of writing skill. They change our minds or inform us in new ways. Following are a few women that make me glad our virtual paths have crossed:

Make it Stop! Make it Stop! written by "Lapopessa" carries this recent post - Good March, from which I take a little quote about the antiwar march in Washington, D.C:
It was very very cold yesterday, but the sun was shining. About 20-30,000 people is the number I've been hearing. As many as 60 buses full of people didn't make it in because of the storm. So who knows how much larger it would have been.
But it was certainly a tremendous opportunity to raise a voice of protest against the illegal and immoral war. I didn't get close enough to hear any of the speakers, but I enjoyed the group.
Fayrouz in Beaumont recently posted The Iraqi refugee crisis. To quote,

Start by doing what's necessary, then do what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible -- St. Francis of Assisi

Women Won't Wait can be found at Margaret's Wanderings, where she writes - in "About me"-
I live in a place where I can feel the earth under my feet or look up at the moon at night whenever I want to- my current stopping ground after many geographical, academic, and issue focused wanderings. I believe in doing my part in making this earth we live with a more equitably habitable place for all.
"betmo" at Life's Journey says "Life is a journey, not a destination." Her motto is "take america back!" Yesterday's post, thought for tuesday, begins with a Barry Goldwater quote on activism, and closes with these words:
apropos coming on the heels of the scandals that have rocked the white house in recent weeks from the justice department and beyond-- and the tremendous turnout at protests against the iraq war-- around the world as well as across america.
Lorianne at Hoarded Ordinaries wrote Stare-steps, from which I quote:
Writers, like children, are not dissuaded by the uselessness of hoarded ordinaries; instead, we cultivate a collector's sense, trying to capture mundane moments on a string of words.
Maud Newton: Blogged Happy Weekend from the Home Emergency Corps. To quote from it,
Is the airport an unlikely place to be gripped by nostalgia? Walking off a plane into DFW yesterday for the first time in more than 15 years, I was so overcome with memories of walking through terminals, parting from my grandmother after long summer visits, I could barely breathe.
The Dishpan Chronicles is written by "Kitchen Window Woman" Her most recent post is Iraq Veteran's Memorial.
A Soapbox of sudsy thoughts, scouring questions, scorching politics, and grease-cutting observations.

My previous posts related to the blogging community - "The mystery of community" was written last year at my "creative" website, as well as the S/SW (7/12/06) post, "Women are good communicators."

"Big Bloggers"