None of Us Are Immune from Experiencing the Calamity of Life

I live in the Washington, DC area and I have been here since the late 1980s.

I remember vividly what it was like September 11, 2001 during the terrorist attacks. I was downtown DC at work that day monitoring the news as the unimaginable unfolded.

During that time, I commuted to work every day on the Metro. My route to work took me right through the Pentagon station.

I recall a lot about that day and in particular, one moment stands out.

I remember the train ride home.

The unusually quiet train slowly came to a stop at the Pentagon, but the doors remained closed, sealing us off from the nightmare above ground.

We could still smell the odor seeping through the doors of the train though, filling the car with an electric stench that seemed to hover mercilessly as we continued on.

I also remember the months and years immediately following, with anthrax attacks and the DC sniper.

There were moments during that time that I actually questioned why I would want to bring a child into this insane world.

It was that bad.

The Unthinkable Continues

It seems every few months another tragic story unfolds that leaves us collectively shaking our heads and quietly soulsearching.

We live in tumultuous times no doubt.

And now we are just a few days removed from yet another depressing terrorist event. This time in Paris.

Again, we feel the confusion of it all and search for answers that simply evade reason.

But Then We Sit Down to Blog

You know you are supposed to blog.

You have to remain consistent for your audience, right? That’s what they tell you.

But then things happen.

Life happens.

How can you carry yourself from depression, anger, and confusion to creativity, inspiration, and passion?

It’s extremely difficult to find the inspiration to blog during times of extreme unrest. It’s hard to motivate yourself to create content, especially if your topic is so far removed from the seriousness of the day’s focus.

Imagine trying to turn off the TV, after watching harrowing coverage of surreal violence, only to walk over to your desk and try to write about SEO.

Inspiration is the furthest thing from your mind.

But still, you sit down to blog.

Blogging is Pointless, but Valuable Nonetheless

Let’s be real. Blogging is way down the priority list when it comes to life’s tragedies. Blogging is a luxury.

But blogging can also provide tremendous benefit when experiencing adversity.

Blogging can serve as a distraction from all of the negativity.

It can serve as a much-needed escape from the reality and gravity of the times.

Just as reading allows someone to drift off into their imagination, free from all that binds them, so too does blogging allow individuals to float away into creative expression.

Even better, not only does it provide you as a blogger a necessary escape, but it also provides your reader with a similar release.

By breaking through the barrier and providing content, you are feeding someone else’s thirst for something – anything – different from what fills their news stream.

It also allows you to take the necessary first steps toward returning to normalcy.

How You Can Push Forward

If you find yourself struggling to find a spark or if you are trying to figure out how you can even start the process, here are a few tips.

Your first decision point is to decide if you want to take a break.

You can simply step away from your blog for awhile and come back when the time is right. If you lose some of your audience, who cares.

This is about you and how you feel.

If you do decide to carry on, there are a few things you can do.

First, read other bloggers content in your particular niche. This will get your mind right and will allow your creative juices to start flowing again.

Read content and start to engage with others – hopefully talking about subjects other than what’s going on in the world.

Try to regain some level of normalcy so that your mind is ready to go when your fingers hit that keyboard.

Once you’ve figured out whether you want to blog or not, you have a couple of key choices to make.

You can either remove yourself completely from the distasteful topic or you can choose to explore it.

That is the beauty of you owning your own blog. You control the messaging. You have the freedom and the power to publish anything you’d like.

If you want to completely remove yourself from it, so be it. Get back on the SEO wagon and start typing.

But, if you want, you can take the time to explore what it means to you. Dive into it and let your thoughts and emotions flow.

Don’t be afraid to put your feelings out there. As long as you respect the situation and don’t try to exploit it or sensationalize current events for your benefit, the message will be accepted.

Final Thoughts

I wasn’t sure I even wanted to write this post as I didn’t want it to be seen as comparing blogging to what’s going on in the world or that I wanted to use it to gain readers.

I simply wanted to provide my approach for crawling out of the relentless stream of tragedy to regain a footing and continue to explore passions online.

The unfortunate reality is, times are going to remain turbulent. It’s the world we live in.

As bloggers, we have to find a way to push through and continue to provide an outlet for ourselves, and our audience.