I get it all the time: “You seem older,” or “I just knew you were older. Oh, no, not the way you look, it’s the way you act (carry yourself, behave, insert other verb here).” After the initial chagrin wears off (they must really think I LOOK old), I do accept this as a compliment.

How did I end up this way? Well, I grew up around adults more than kids. And I grew up down South…that means don’t speak unless you’re spoken to, which translates into a whole lot of listening. I was at the family business office far more than the playground, so I had to be inventive: forts out of couch cushions, drawing and photocopying magazines (25 cents per subscription, thank you), and behaving at the “grown up” lunch table.

While Gen X and Y rush to hush the older set, today I still revert to listening and then sharing. That’s why before I go “whole hog” on my blog, I’ve been aiming to read at least 15 – 20 blogs a day (and commenting on 10, a girl’s gotta get her points in!).

So I’m not going to whine about who’s got a gazillion points.

You heavyhitters (you know who you are and you’re proud of it!) earned your points, and yes, I’m at the bottom of the totem pole. And that’s OK. My mother taught me the value of hard work and I’m pretty skeptical of the longevity of your average Get-Rich-Quick Scheme. (although GRQSs do make for fun daydreams!)

When I’ve got more to say (after I’ve learned a bit from the seasoned vets), I’ll blog more. Until then, I’ll get points from commenting on the day’s hot topics. And make those comments worth something ---an occasional “thanks for sharing” is fine, but if you can add more insight, a new spin, or put some humor in your reply, do so! Because the next thing I do after reading a good blog post, is check out the blogs of the people who had enjoyable/noteworthy replies! We all appreciate someone who can “speak to us” and when I find a likeminded blogger, I like to see what else he or she has to say. Or if I find a particularly UNlikeminded blogger, well, guess what? I want to see what you have to say as well. After all, aren’t we all lifetime learners?