Everyday Gyaan

Keeping Life Simple, Authentic And Holistic

The Alphabet Is Fine

A to Z challenge, Blogging, Writing & Creativity / by

Today I start playing with the alphabet, again! Yes, I’m doing the April Blogging From A to Z Challenge for the second time. After our experience with the Challenge last year, I decided that I was doing it on Everyday Gyaan too besides on From 7Eight. I’m also linking into the Ultimate Blog Challenge and April’s NaBloPoMo.

When I began to think about what theme I would blog on for the Challenge here, I was tempted to go with many ideas, until I realized it was best to stick to my blog’s tagline : Keeping Life Simple, Authentic and Holistic. In other words, it’s business as usual – only that there’ll be a lot more posts in a short span of time.
Fred Rogers

I know from my experience last year that it’s easy to be clever with the letters of the alphabet when doing the A to Z challenge. However, this time, I’m trying not to be clever,  I’m going to stick to my own voice.

Natalie Goldberg writes about her Israeli landlady, a woman in her fifties. The woman called a repairman to fix her broken TV. It took the repairman four visits to fix the screen.

“But you knew even before he came the first time what was wrong,” Natalie told her. “He could have brought the correct tube and fixed it immediately.”

The landlady looked at her in astonishment. “Yes but then we couldn’t have had a relationship, sat and drunk tea and discussed the progress of the repairs. ”

Of course, Goldberg writes, the goal was not to fix the machine but to have a relationship. To make a connection–to touch, to see, to listen, to discover, to drink from the well of the day’s gladness.

This is exactly why I started a blog to make a connection with people via my writing. And that’s just what I’m going to do with the letters of the alphabet through this month!

This post is written for the letter A for the Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2014 José and I are undertaking the Challenge on our blog, From 7Eight too.

The Natalie Golberg story comes via Terry Hershey’s Sabbath Moment updates.

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Comments

  2. nabanita

    I love the theme Corinne…but I think in reality you are being smart with the alphabet 🙂 And the making connection part says it all , doesn’t it? That’s why we blog I guess…It feels gr8 when people connect to us through our writings 🙂
    nabanita recently posted..A is for Alone in AgonyMy Profile

  4. Aditi

    Lovely that you are keeping it simple, authentic and holistic! 🙂 Making beautiful connections is certainly a reason for blogging and what a golden opportunity this A-Z gives no?
    Aditi recently posted..The Amethyst RingMy Profile

  11. Inderpreet Kaur Uppal

    Hi,
    This is a good idea, let us keep our life simple. This is what I am applying to my blogging too.
    In our speedy lives we just don’t sit and talk any more.
    Thanks a ton!
    Inderpreet Kaur Uppal recently posted..A is for ALONEMy Profile

  13. Sreeja Praveen

    Aah, the alphabet ! Lovely tapestry of words here, Corinne 😉 loved the way you’ve woven the smartness into the ‘not being smart’ thing 🙂 Hugs, Corinne 🙂 Staying tuned for the rest of the smartness 😀
    Sreeja Praveen recently posted..# 1. Ashes…..My Profile

  14. Beloo Mehra

    Aah…I like this very much, Corinne. A is indeed for Alphabet, I suppose 🙂 And I should add that from what I have seen so far you certainly have connected quite nicely with so many people through your writings and helped people make their own connections too. Way to go, girl! Look forward to your B post and all the rest!
    Beloo Mehra recently posted..HomecomingMy Profile

  15. Bhavya

    EG is a lovely place to be in and I love digging out your old posts are reading them, for they give a sense of comfort and peace. Glad that you are keeping the theme of EG as it is. All the best for April 🙂

    PS: Hope there would be some posts from Pablo too…
    Bhavya recently posted..AddressMy Profile

  16. Dayana

    I just heard about this alphabet blogging thing and I think its awesome to come up with clever ideas based on the alphabet to blog about!!

  23. Diana Pinto

    Hi Corinne ! Great start to the A to Z blogging challenge. Making connections through writing is wonderful and it comes so naturally to you. Best of luck for the entire challenge.

  26. Proactive Indian

    ‘Smart’ and ‘not smart’ reminds me of a senior co-worker many years back. Everybody used to tell him he was lucky to have such a smart wife. One day, somebody insensitively asked him how come such a smart woman married a ‘not smart’ guy like him. Before any further damage could be done, I retorted, “She fell for a ‘not smart’ guy, but he successfully wooed such a smart woman, obviously he’s smarter than her!” From that day, people stopped bugging him about his ‘smart’ wife!
    Proactive Indian recently posted..AppreciationMy Profile

  27. Shailajav

    You amaze me with your energy- AtoZ, Nablopomo, UBC 😀 And keeping WT running through all that and running the AtoZ group! Doing it with two blogs!

    Lady, I want to know what diet you’re on 😉

    On a serious note, I love the anecdote about the lady talking about making connections. Because after all, that is what blogging is all about. And you make it seem so easy. Hats off to you!
    Shailajav recently posted..AwarenessMy Profile

  28. Eli

    Business as usual – coming from you- yes, please Corinne:-) Love your writings, so Ill be following for sure. So happy to have connected with you through blogging:-) The story with the repair-guy was cute. Can totally relate… many do have the tendency to come again and again don’t they:-) Super start of the challenge:-)
    Eli recently posted..A for AcropolisMy Profile

  29. Sulekha

    Blogging is an excellent way of building relationships with other bloggers but as long as the effort is on from both the sides. One-way communication becomes less audible with time. AtoZ Challenge is bringing like-minded bloggers in touch with each other and helping build bridges across nations, loving it. You have started with a bang and the boom will get louder with every letter 🙂

  33. Cat

    I love your simple, authentic and holistic blog, Corinne and am so glad we connected. You are great how you support others and are always positive and uplifting.

    And by the way, I think you’re VERY CLEVER, too! Just sayin…. Look forward to more fun this month with the A-Z Challenge.

  34. Monica Deshpande

    Corinne, what a fabulous thought about using the A-Z to explore human connections. The landlady in your anecdote reminds me of my grandmum, who is the most interesting nonagenarian I have known, all because of her connections. 🙂
    (At 91, she visits her ‘mandal’ – her local ladies club – every Thursday, to catch up on news, the latest books and catch up with some of her friends, who have been members of this club since 1944. )
    Thanks for the reminder on the power of keeping in touch.