Standing Outside the Circle

The definition of eloquence is "fluent, forcible, elegant or persuasive speaking in public. It is primarily the power of expressing strong emotions in striking and appropriate language, thereby producing conviction or persuasion. The term is also used for writing in a fluent style."

It is clear from the name of my blog that I do not put too much pressure on myself in the way of eloquence, when it comes to writing. At least not yet. This is certainly not true when speaking in public. I am a strong public speaker. A public speaker at all is strong.

I have been thinking a lot about my blog and with each post I become more comfortable with it. One of the thoughts that has been plaguing me is the feeling of being on the outside. It could be partly to do with the area in which I live; a tremendously academic area, crawling with highly educated and opinionated (ok, passionate) people. I ponder how ones physical location reflects in their blogs. If I were living in Manhattan as a Manhattanite, blogging about fashion and entertainment would not feel "dumb."

Blogging in Western Mass is like being a chef in Italy. The other chefs seem to be part of an elite crowd and the people eating are the harshest of critics. These elite intellectuals that I live amongst use words like lovely, musings, and plethora. As much as I value their eloquentness, I just can not bring myself to use the word "lovely."

Listen, I am not implying that I am having an identity-crisis at all. In fact, my sense of self is crystal clear. And I am certainly not implying that I am dumb. I am pretty dam smart actually. Writing has added a layer to my being that is requiring me to dig deep inside myself. What do I want to say? How quickly do I want to share myself with you?

Yesterday I read a post from my Mommy Bloggers Facebook Page written by Marian Kent. Quoting her, "Don't dumb down or squelch yourself, not for anyone." She writes of "using your words." It is my interpretation that she encourages the reader to dig deep, say what you feel, mean what you say, and be OK with it.

We are all standing outside some circles and holding hands or standing tall in the center of others. I think it is all a matter of perspective and who you choose to surround yourself with. But regardless of where we stand, our words come from within us and give us power beyond belief.