Respecting Our Elders

While doing research for another of my blogs, I discovered that there are literally millions of blogs with only a single entry. Someone started the process of creating a new blog, posted a single entry, then abandoned it [in the name of full disclosure, I've walked away from a blog or two under similar circumstances in my lifetime]. I don't know why it happens, of course, but I suspect that those orphaned blogs were given up because the writer wasn't fully committed to the idea of blogging. Then there are blogs that are abandoned due to circumstances beyond the author's control.
For instance, the blog of Olive Riley [no relation], in Australia. The Life Of Riley began in February of 2007, when Ms. Riley was 107. Yeah. 107. A story about her blog is here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080714/lf_nm_life/blogger_oldest_dc. She posted, on average, once a week, until she was admitted to a nursing home late last month. She was also submitting videos to YouTube, where she sang and told stories. When she died over the weekend, at 108, she was acknowledged as the oldest blogger in the history of the activity.
Many people think of blogging as a younger person's form of expression. We don't check ID when you enter this site, but I'd be willing to wager that, at 50, I'm older than many, if not most, of my readers. While it's hard for me to feel wise most of the time, I can only imagine the wisdom Olive brought to her posts. Maybe it's time for us all to look for experienced muses...

Our condolences to Olive Riley's family in Australia, and her devoted readers around the world.

-Mike Riley