Paying it forward in the blogosphere: Liebster Award

This is my follow-up breather post, in which I am taking time out from a “regular” post to gratefully accept a nomination for the Liebster Award from A.M.B.  This is an award for new(ish) blogs that have fewer than 200 followers. It is meant to give people encouragement for the job they are doing and encourage them to keep going.  It works, I’m encouraged!  A.M.B. is the author of the blog The Misfortune of Knowing at www.misfortuneofknowing.wordpress.com, in which she writes about both adult and children’s books and sometimes the law.  Her blog is an intelligent and engaging read; I hope you will “drop in” and give it a look.  This award, as with the One Lovely Blog Award, is a pay-it-forward award, a concept I’m a big fan of. So, A.M.B., thank you very much!

The rules of this award are as follows:

1. Thank and link back to the giver.

2. Answer the giver’s questions.

3. Nominate five other blogs with fewer than 200 followers.

4. Ask five questions for one’s nominees to answer.

5. Post it all on your blog.

Here are my answers to Misfortune of Knowings’s five questions:

(1) What is your “super power”—an obscure talent or skill that you know (or have been told) is particularly good? For example, some people are super-recognizers, super-tasters, or are particularly empathetic.

Boy, you start with a tough one.  In the past perhaps I could have said that I had some talent for advising people at work on how to deal with challenging situations.  Now I’ll say that I can usually find the humor in most situations and make people smile – except with politics these days!

(2) When you were little, what did you want to be when you “grew up”?

I wanted to run a camp for kids, because I loved camp so much myself.  Glad I got past that idea!

(3) Name a book or movie you’ve read or watched at least three times and explain why you did.

A little-known book of poems for women by Natasha Josefowitz, entitled “Is This Where I Was Going?”  It captures the challenges and rewards of womanhood throughout life’s phases so very well.

(4) What’s your favorite first name that is not your own? What do you like about it?

Clara, because it’s my granddaughter’s name.

(5) Where in the world would you like to be in 10 years? Why?

Alive, for one, because I will be 76!!  Hopefully, I will be able to say that I have made a contribution to society during that period of time, in some way, shape or form, even if it’s to make more people smile – or think.

I would like to nominate the following five blogs with fewer than 200 followers, whose blogs I’ve enjoyed reading.

http://onewildword.com/

http://nicoledigiose.com/ (Write On)

http://asuburbanfairytale.wordpress.com/

http://toughmotivation.wordpress.com/

http://booksmyboyslove.wordpress.com/

If these individuals are inclined to answer the following questions, I would love to hear their answers:

(1) What is it that you like about blogging?

(2) What is your favorite time of year and why?

(3) If the Internet didn’t exist, and hence the possibility of blogging, would you still write?  If not, what would you do instead to get the same satisfaction?!.

(4) What’s your biggest weakness/indulgence?

(5) If you won the lottery next week, would you make any major changes in your life?  What?

Finally, if you are wondering what the connection is between the Liebster Award and the picture to your left, it’s just an attempt on the part of Robby Robin to say: enjoy your day!