Bits of Whitdom

Throw Away Line

You've probably heard or used the expression "a throw away line" -- referring to a part of a script or speech that the speaker/audience can take or leave. It doesn't really further the scene or the conversation any further.

It's been awhile since my last post, and while I think of topics sometimes to write about, some are too personal, some are too banal, and others are just too darn hard to capture in the space of what a normal blog would be.

Then I looked through some of the past posts, and some of my favorites have gone unnoticed...unread. And then I felt a little slighted...like casting pearls before swine. There's all my "good" stuff going unread, and it's only when I scratch out something light & whimsical (or maybe a little too cerebral) that someone looks on.

So it made me wonder about a "throw away blog" and if there is such a thing. If the whole purpose of having a blog is just to capture, if even for a moment, a thought or a dream or a question...or just to ponder or observe, then is there such a thing as a "throw away" entry?

I love my friend Barb's blog, and the topics she comes up with. Who would have ever thought that the topic of Cockfighting would dig so deeply into the human condition...responses really considered what they said, and there were some insightful posts about how we are wired. The fact that she engaged people...and the THOUGHT...and then they articulated those thoughts, made for a wonderful mental exercise in looking at something in a different way, and peeling back the layers of what lies on the surface.

No, this entry is not intended to evoke any deep discussion or peek into the human psyche. It's more of an appreciation for fellow bloggers who commit their thoughts to the page, and then have the confidence to let it take off. Perhaps that's what I lack -- the confidence to be more transparent and then see what happens. Perhaps that is my reticence in posting more often (that and the constraints of time and opportunity) -- that I fear my best post will go unread, and then I might be judged on the lesser contributions in the collection.

And YIKES -- isn't that kinda how life is? We worry about being judged on our weakest moment instead of the total of our accomplishments and achievements? We worry that our "throw away" day may be the defining day to someone casually observing.

Which brings up the question of whom do we try to please? Is it really good to try and be our VERY best every moment? Or are sometimes the throw away lines and events the very ones that offer the cushion and padding and comfort and timing and rhythm so that the high points stand out even more?

But I do know that while there may be throw away lines and throw away blogs, there are no throw away moments...

posted by Whitney @ 7:43 AM