What the World Needs Now

I know I date myself when I use the lyrics from an old song, "What the world needs now, is love, sweet love. It's the only thing that there's just too little of". Seems like it has been forever since I wrote in my blog. It served its purpose at the time, and then I didn't need it anymore. For me, it was a vent, a place to express feelings that I couldn't express with co-workers or family. Lately, at work, it has been difficult, and again, it is something that I can't discuss with co-workers-because again, they are adding to my angst. And my family gets tired of hearing the same old story, so maybe it is time to blog again.

I listened to a very interesting web seminar the other day with a speaker from MTV talking about ways to advertise to youth. It seems that the youth of today are all about creativity, and sharing their creativity with others, through their myspace pages, their web sites, sites where they can create a t-shirt and have people vote on the best shirt. The third part of the triangle was that the teens of today want validation. When they post a picture on their myspace page, they want their friends to comment on it. And, they will get mad if their friends don't get around to posting a comment when they have updated a page or site. They were talking about teens, but does that really apply to all of us?

If you wander through the blogs even on this blog site, and go next blog, next blog, etc, and see the blogs from all over the world, and from those that are trying to be creative, and from those that are trying to be validated--and many of these people are not teens, so is it that we are all looking for that validation--is it that we don't get enough of it in our day-to-day personal life that we look for it from strangers that might stop and linger on our blog?

When I first started my blog, I did try to actively recruit people to come to my blog, see my pictures, read my ramblings and comment on them. Even though I went to their sites, commented on their stories, or photos, or life learnings, not many of them reciprocated the favor and came to my site, and commented. I felt betrayed, and sad that I guess I wasn't interesting enough with my stories of far away lands, my connection to songs, my beautiful flower pictures to drum up even a small following of loyal stranded in atlanta readers. I must say that my most loyal fan was from one out west, who read my blog religiously.

There should be a standard operating procedure manual for blogs--How to win friends and influence enemies--how to get people to come to read your machinations, ooh over your latest flower, dog, or cat photo, become your friend for life.

So, in the interim, I will occasionally ramble back to my homepage, and put my feelings down on paper for no one but myself to read, and ponder why.

If you do happen to linger here, and see anything worthy of comment--whether good or bad, it will be appreciated. I need my validation, too, me
someone way past teens, we are all human, and we all need some of the same things.

"Love, sweet love", not just the kind in the song, but the pat on the back, the squeeze of the shoulder, the nod or acknowledgement that we are all in this together, and we aren't alone.

So, my salute to Jackie DeShannon and her song.
Original lyrics by Hal David,
music composed by Burt Bacharach.

"What the world needs now
is love, sweet love
it's the only thing
that there's just too little of
What the world needs now
is love, sweet love,
no not just for some
but for everyone.

Lord, we don't need
another mountain,
there are mountains
and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans
and rivers enough to cross,
enough to last
'til the end of time.

What the world needs now
is love, sweet love
it's the only thing
that there's just too little of
What the world needs now
is love, sweet love,
no, not just for some
but for everyone.

Lord, we don't need
another meadow
there are cornfields
and wheat fields enough to grow
There are sunbeams
and moonbeams enough to shine
oh listen, lord,
if you want to know.

What the world needs now
is love, sweet love
it's the only thing
that there's just too little of
What the world needs now
is love, sweet love,
no, not just for some
but for everyone.

No, not just for some,
oh, but just for everyone."