How to write your about page – let your soul do the talking

Go ahead, Google how to write your About Page.  I dare you.  You should research how to because your About Page is very important.  Make sure it is concise, make sure it grabs your readers’ attention…on and on and on…

With all the history under my belt, I thought to myself, “Jeez…writing an about page should be easy!”  All I needed to do was a flashback to the 1960’s when I was born.  Or in the 1980’s when I graduated.  Or last year.  Last year, I took a step in a new direction at that time.

I realized my going gray process was too limiting for a blog.  I felt that I needed to grow the constituency for my blog by expanding my potential readers.  Duh…once I completed the going gray process, I didn’t really have tons to write about anymore.  But I didn’t want to quit, so I changed things up.

I spent some time playing with words that I thought described me and stumbled upon these two that made me smile.

That day week month I spent last year when I was updating my blog was a challenge.  My mission was to rewrite the About Me page for my blog was a starting point after all the crap of figuring out how to transfer everything to a new domain.  That’s why old links don’t work well or that comments can’t be made on old posts.  But, whatever…I did it!  And then all I had to do was rewrite my About Page, and I’d be set.

Holy crap…that was one of the hardest assignments ever.  I still can’t put it into words why, but it was.  I think I wrote 5-10 different renditions.  I’d share each one with my daughter, and the conversation went something like this:

Sarah Mae: “Is that what you really want it to say?”

Deep down, we all have a quirky side just waiting to be set free.  I know I’m kind of fond of mine.  Each moment on the q-side reminds me I am a wee-bit hopeless, resolute and attracted to embracing the quaintness of things and people in life.

Me:  “Well, I guess so, oh, I don’t know?  How about this?”

If I could transport back in time, watch my life story unfold and find words to describe me, I’d be tempted to use a favorite song from the 1960’s. Yeah, that’s it – like the lyrics of My Favorite Things from the Sound of Music. My, oh my, I still love singing that song (albeit off-key-alone-in-the-car-like).  I’d tell you to grab your recorder (everyone has one, it’s a long brown musical thing with holes on the top that you’ve kept stored away from your grade school years) and play or sing along with me as I tell you who I am…I love gazing in awe at sunsets & sunrises, noticing dew drops on small blades of grasses, little dogs & kittens with tilting heads, belly laughs & bubbly chats, and places bursting at the seams with brightly colored objects & treasures made anew.  Wait…cut, scratch that, some songs should just stay as they were written.  Me in a nutshell (no pun intended on the nut part)…any day is lyrical to me if I get to spend it discovering people, places or things that make me think differently & smile until I can’t smile no more. 

Sarah Mae:  “No, mom, don’t be too corny.”

Me:  “Well, it is about being quirky, so I thought that was funny.  How about this quirky version?”

I’m here standing on the top of a beautiful mountain, twirling around and singing…

Cue You – as you walk in with your recorder (everyone has one, it’s a long brown musical thing with holes on the top that you’ve kept stored away from your grade school years), you’re playing or singing along with me as I tell you who I am. 

Cue Me – I love gazing in awe at sunsets & sunrises, noticing dew drops on small blades of grasses, little dogs & kittens with tilting heads, belly laughs & bubbly chats, and places bursting at the seams with brightly colored objects & treasures made anew.

Wait…cut, let’s scratch that, some songs should just stay as they were originally written – like the lyrics of My Favorite Things from the Sound of Music. My, oh my, I still love singing that song (albeit off-key-alone-in-the-car-like). 

It’s me, though, in a nutshell (no pun intended on the nut part)…except I don’t live on a mountain and I can’t carry a tune.  But, I do love all those things! And any day is lyrical to me if I get to spend it discovering people, places or things that make me think differently, smile until I can’t smile no more and my heart sing. 

Sarah Mae:  “NO!  Don’t limit it to something too specific, you’re too random of a person to do that.”

Me:  “Yeah…you’re right…how about this?”

I love gazing in awe at sunrises & sunsets, noticing dew drops on blades of grass, little dogs & kittens with tilting heads, bubbly chats filled with belly laughs and finding happy places bursting at the seams with brightly colored objects & treasures made anew.  Wait…scratch that, this isn’t an attempt to rewrite My Favorite Things lyrics from the Sound of Music. Oh good graycious, I am a Baby Boomer baby who loves that song too.  Seriously though, any day is lyrical to me if I get to spend it discovering people, places or things that make me think differently & smile until I can’t smile no more. 

Sarah Mae:  “Not quite…but you’ll eventually figure it out, but it has to be YOUR version, not what I think!  So if you like it in the end, then you should use whatever version YOU like.”

After several days, I settled on a version.  I’ve updated it once since, and there you have it.  My About Me page was finished.

But is it really a good representative of ME or what I want the blog to be?  Maybe?  Maybe not?  But it is done.  It’s like the dreaded paper I was forced to write in my college history class…UGH.  Some days I feel that yucky feeling of finally having turned it in and I am waiting for the score.  But those feelings fade fast with each sunset and sunrise that I get to learn more about myself.  And that makes me smile.

I often wonder do we ever really know who we are?  Don’t we morph as time goes on?  We’re not a role, we’re a soul.  And my soul speaks to me when I’m happy when I’m sad when I’m mad, and when I’m glad something is over.  My soul is hard to describe in words.  That’s what makes me a fun and quirky mystery…for now, that is!

Thank YOU for your time you spend here reading my blog posts!!

#31SRW Photography Challenge:  Day 25 – Yourself (read more about rules here).  Daily Post Prompt:  Constituency and Linda Hill’s OneLiner Wednesday:  Thank you.

PS – How about YOU, do you find it difficult to write about yourself?  Or do you find it easy and you’ve got great tips to share about how to make it easier? Feel free to share how you think I could improve my About page!