551st Friday Blog Roundup

Thank you for the blogoversary wishes as well as proving me wrong with the 14 comments statement.

It is an accomplishment to write in the same space almost daily for 9 years. And sort of bizarre to think about.  When I started this space, I had no clue that it would continue like this.  But it’s hard to stop when it feels part of your very being.  Like an organ that floats around outside the body.

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I didn’t say anything about Father’s Day last week, but I really loved Chris Hardwick’s post about the holiday.  Especially this part:

Honestly, this day is a little weird for me. Sure, it’s a greeting card holiday, but now one that carries more weight with me than when I was young, ignorantly blissful and had a wealth of dads—a wonderful father (Billy), and equally amazing stepfather (Jim), two grandfathers (Jim & Hugh) and even one 96 year old Italian great-grandfather (Alfonso). Now they’re all gone and yes, I’m sad. I’m not trying to whine about it or bum you out. I simply want you to be cognizant of the people you have and appreciate them while you are able.

The piece is well-written because it so clearly comes from his heart.  And I love his advice to be a person that you would be proud of — as in, not focusing on what others think about you, but instead focus on what you think about you.

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Stop procrastinating.  Go make your backups.  Don’t have regrets.

Seriously.  Stop what you’re doing for a moment.  It will take you fifteen minutes, tops.  But you will have peace of mind for days and days.  It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments in order to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

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And now the blogs…

But first, second helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week.  In order to read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “My Daughter Is Infertile: A Father’s Perspective” (Waiting for Baby Bird)
• “Self Identity and Perception” (Persnickety Chickadee)
• “MicroblogMondays: First Kiss” (Searching for a Silver Lining)

Okay, now my choices this week.

There’s a post on BlogHer about things the author would tell her younger self about IVF.  I highlighted it in the Health section because I liked how it showed how we can shed our long-held beliefs when faced with different facts.  It’s a testament to the fact that we have that ability: to have our opinions evolve.  It gives me hope.  And I love that she told her younger self to ignore the stories coming out of Hollywood.

Finding My New Normal has a post about why she can’t befriend people who have children who are the age her child should have been.  She writes: “I’m sure you are a lovely person, but you have a child who will turn 5 this summer so we can’t be friends.  After all this time you would think I could look past it, but I can’t.”  It’s a moving piece.

Lastly, in honour of Father’s Day, Middle Girl recounts the best day she had with her father.  It’s a beautiful moment in a difficult relationship, a small island she can mentally go to that is part of the larger story.  I was grateful that she shared it with us.

The roundup to the Roundup: Thank you for the blogoversary wishes.  A thought-provoking Father’s Day piece.  Your weekly backup nudge.  And lots of great posts to read.  So what did you find this week?  Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between June 19th and June 26th) and not the blog’s main url. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week?  Read the original open thread post here.