October 15, 2011

This Sojourner's Truth

Welcome to my blog! I set it up months ago, but in typical me fashion, I am only now writing on it for the first time! My first roadblock was - what do I call this blog? I could dedicate the blog to particular things, like education, pets, dogs, reading, teaching, history, even maybe religion. The truth is, I am interested in so many things that I couldn't choose just one. I didn't want to be dull and just call it Robin's Blog, either. So, after much toying about with possibilities, I came up with "This Sojourner's Truth."

I thought of this name for two reasons. First, I think of a sojourner as a traveler. Second, I am a history buff and I thought it was a clever twist on Sojourner Truth, a former slave who gained her freedom before the Civil War and became a traveling preacher and activist. I looked up the word sojourner, thinking of it as meaning "traveler." I discovered that the word "sojourn" actually means a temporary stay. After thinking it over some more, I realized that this name does, indeed, cover my intentions in using this name for my blog.

I believe we are all travelers through life, from birth to death. Each phase of our lives is "sojourn," or a temporary stay through each particular period of our lives. First there's school - grade school, middle school, high school. Each is a temporary stay for a set number of years, and we learn and mature and get ready to make the next sojourn. After high school we have myriad possibilities - college, work, travel, family, or combinations of all of these things. Each sojourn teaches us valuable life lessons and helps us decide where to move to the next destination of our lives. Some transitions are easy to discern - graduation, marriage, birth of a child, buying a house, getting a job. Other transitions tend to sneak up on us - my kid's going to college, I'm a grandparent, caring for our parents, and - when did I get this old? Our stay in any one "place" is truly a sojourn - temporary - because time and life march on, whether we saw it coming or not!

Hence, I am a sojourner. I've traveled many roads in life that have taken many surprising twists and turns, many of which were accompanied by a lot of introspection. For instance, it took me 30 years to find my true calling - teaching. I pursued that calling, got certified, and taught in a classroom. Then, I lost my job and here I am, doing what I can to bring in money because I can't seem to get another teaching job. That's why you see ads on this page - I can bring in a little income with this blog, also. I've also found myself becoming increasingly responsible for caring for my elderly mother while I am dealing with my own issues about aging myself. Issues like - when did THAT happen? Why CAN'T I do all-nighters and bounce back after one good sleep? I didn't know THAT part of my body COULD hurt, and who shrunk my pants?

I like to believe I speak the truth. I called the blog THIS Sojourner's Truth because what is true for one person may not be true for others. Most people revere their mothers and hold them in high esteem. I am happy for them, but I am not one of them. I've had a difficult relationship with my mother for most of my life, and it really is not getting any easier. It's a truth I generally keep to myself because I don't think others will understand - not unless they really know my mother. So, as I travel through life, I can only tell you the truth that is my life and world. I can share some insights, discuss some issues, and generally try to engage you through my written word.

I don't intend for this blog to become an on-line diary of sorts; I rather hope to use it to discuss things I've learned about issues that affect all of us. So please, pull up a chair and sit a while. Think and respond if you like. Let me know what YOUR truth is. Ask questions. Come along with me on this sojourn!