I just received an email from a reader gently berating me for not writing more in my weblog. She also wondered why I was not receiving responses to my request for thoughts on Small Graces. A few words of explanation are in order.
I have indeed been remiss in keeping up the weblog, and I hope you all understand that summer, work, etc., have taken precedence. I will try to write more as the autumn progresses.
As to the Small Graces comments — they have been coming in; you simply have not been able to see them. This is unfortunate, but, alas, necessary. People have been writing their comments in the “Kent Nerburn contact me” section, and they have been coming directly to me. Originally, comments could get to me through the “new comment” postings, but the world of blogging has a dark underside that I do not fully understand, and that underside has forced me to put in blocks on the “comments” section.
Each day I receive hundreds of rolling “tags” on the comment section, promoting viagra, mortgage refinancing, various types of porn, on-line gambling, and any number of other undesirable websites. These “tags” constantly change their URLs so they can’t be blocked individually. All I can do is put a block on “comments” so that the rest of you don’t have to wade through a hundred comments like “nice website” and “keep it up” that are really simply links to these scamster sites.
In my next post I’ll show you some of the general comments that have been sent regarding Small Graces. In the interim, know that your comments are being seen and read, and, in most cases, given a response. The rest of you just are not able to look over my shoulder to see what is being written.
Stay with me. We’ll get it worked out.
I’m not at all surprised at the “gratitude” reaction to “Small Graces.” But I’m in a different place.
For me, “Small Graces” helped reinforce something I remind myself of daily: To accept life on life’s terms, and enjoy my moments as I go through them. The latter may be construed as gratitude in small “chunks,” but the former is perspective. We humans have a difficult time remembering that we are only part of what I call “Nature’s Grand Design.”
It is not surprising that your readership (hopefully an extended-one with this book) found resonance. You have extensively written about values, e.g., in “Neither Wolf, Nor Dog.”
I suspect that you suffer from the dilemma that many, if not most, writers do: What you’d like to write about versus what your publisher, and therefore your checkbook, “suggests.” Moreover, as a marketing person, I understand why you solicited us about what resonanted with “Small Graces.”
What I would like to hear your thoughts on is the following: Nature’s benevolence, man’s self-centeredness/pre-occupation with himself, and the path by which man can keep in perspective, and HUMILITY, that he is merely part of Nature’s design. My wish, is that I, and my fellows, could have respect and humility, such that we would comprehend that our “struggles” are not unique in Nature. Perhaps they exist on a different plane, but what we think is “survival” is no different from that of other fauna and flora.
What IS DIFFERENT is our GRANDIOSITY. So, at the risk of being a contrarian, I suggest your write about grandiosity instead of gratitude. The reason your readers are suggesting gratitude as the resonanting voice in “Small Graces” is that they are surrounded by the grandiosity of man.
Kent, I am a discerning person, but also a marketer. I have thought about suggesting a joint-venture with you. But for now, I hope you and your publisher like my “twist.” The publisher’s job is to promote a book on grandiosity; your role is to put your wonderful perspective and voice to it.
I would love to be of help. I could outline some of the chapters (because I believe so strongly and have thought about it a great deal).
With great, dare I say “gratitude,” for your writing and existence among us all,
Barbara