Who Are You Online vs. Offline?

"Are You the Same, or Different?"

Online and off, I am a partner, sister, mother, grandmother, author, writer. I’m the same online and off.  No pretenses.  My life and how I present myself is exactly the same everywhere.  I’m an open book. This is who I am …

Q: Do your family members read your books?

CJ: My parents are both gone now, but I know they did. They told me. Every time I talked to them, they asked about my writing. They wanted to hear all about anything new, even my drafts, and they asked me to please read to them.

I don’t honestly know whether my five siblings do. My books are not something we talk about, unless I have a new book out and I’ve given them a copy. Then maybe for a few minutes, we do.

I knew years ago they read my children’s books to their children and then later, their grandchildren. Whether they’ve read my adult books is anyone’s guess —I would never ask them as it might underscore our differences even further …

To my five siblings, I’m just Cath’, their somewhat eccentric oldest sister. You could say I’m sort of the black sheep of the family —the only one who moved out of Ohio; the only one who was widowed, then married more than once after that, and the only one who ever got divorced –-not just once, but a second time, too.

In my family, divorce isn’t a viable option. “If it isn’t working, you aren’t working hard enough.” No one asks why, but if they did, I would tell them grief changes a person. Let’s sit down and calmly talk about it …

Of course, I would like to think I’m different because I’m more cosmopolitan, more worldly, but it’s probably safer to say I simply chose a different life path than they did.

To my daughters, I’m good ol' dependable mom, the person who loves them no matter what and who’s always there for them, even if it has to be by phone and Facetime.

I know they used to read my children’s books to my eleven grandchildren when they were small. I did, too.

Personally, I think my adult books embarrass them.  Adult mothers in their opinion should be sophisticated, loving, and gracious with a sense of humor and mystery, not be so worldly and open … or God forbid, passionate.

I could be wrong, but I don’t believe anyone in my family thinks of me as a writer, a poet, or a published author.

To them, I’m just me, the eccentric old lady/sister/mother/grandma who loves them all dearly and … oh yeah, I think she does do a little writing in her spare time.

Published Poet/Writer/Author of 5 books.
Quora Top Writer 2018
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