Over a tasty plate of pad thai at Tuk Tuk, I had a heart-to-heart with Kathie Reiner before all this COVID stuff came down over us like a wet blanket. Kathie’s the lady who’s been helping me with this blog for years.
“Spencer,” she said in her very matter of fact way, “if you ever want your blog to be anything more than a hobby, you have to very specifically identify what interests your readers. And then help them solve their problems. We’ve talked about this before. You know how to write. But you have to get and stay focused. You can’t jump from topic to topic if you ever want to get anywhere. In the world of social media it’s called addressing an avatar.”
“Yes,” I replied, “and I know I’ve pretty much ignored your advice. But I’ve been giving it some thought. And I’m ready to clean up my act.”
I know crazy. And lots of other people do, too.
“You know I’m bipolar. And have been for decades. I’ve blogged about it. When I was in my early twenties, I was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital for two or three weeks.”
“And I’m not alone. Millions of Americans suffer from some form of mental illness. And when you add in the family members and loved ones that have to deal with the consequences of those disorders, there are countless more impacted by mental health issues. I could write posts on this topic,” I concluded, “until the cows come home. And come nowhere near exhausting the subject.”
But what about us political junkies?
I’ve eaten quite a lot of Asian food over the last few years. My daughter’s married to great guy who’s half Korean and I don’t think they ever turn off their rice cooker. So, I’ve become quite adept at chop sticks; I was done with my pad thai before Kathie was done with whatever she was eating with her fork.
“But, you know,” I said between mouthfuls, “does this mean that I have to quit posting about political issues altogether?”
“No,” she answered, “politicians deal with mental health issues all the time. You probably voted on some yourself.”
“Very true,” I answered, laying aside my chop sticks for a moment. “They came up routinely.”
“But to start with,” continued Kathie, “you need to make it clear to your readers-your avatars-that you’re headed in a new direction. And when you do post on politics, start by focusing on those issues that intersect with mental health. After that, when you’ve built up a following of tens of thousands,” she said with a sly smile, “go anywhere your heart desires. Just not too often.”
Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?
So, there you have it. And you’re the first to know. If you like what you see going forward, I’d love to hear from you.
And if you don’t like what you see going forward, I’d love to hear from you as well.
Either way, what I’d really like to hear is your story. How has mental health, or its absence, impacted you personally? How has it affected your loved ones? What are some, perhaps, unconventional solutions that have helped you? What are some things you tried that didn’t work.
I look forward to hearing from you. And hope, that by working together, we might be able to shed some helpful light on a problem that still abounds in dark and troubling corners of our minds. And in the secret, shameful shadows of society.
