The #ponyup challenge

UPDATED 1/7/2010:

Yesterday we pony-ed up big time.

Art credit: Jan Spangler, illustrator extraordinaire.

Something remarkable happens when women come together to support each other. Sparks fly as spurs connect and boots walk boldly right up to the problem that needs to be shared, dissected, solved, or soothed. There is joy in the camaraderie even when there is sorrow to be shared.

As a lover of the written word I believe it happens here out in the seeming vastness of cyberspace as well. Women share. They shout their pain, their love, their honesty into the black hole of space and wonder if anyone heard it. They offer themselves up in the form of words typed on a page, cast adrift like a message in a bottle, and they wonder if they will be read.

Do you know what happened yesterday? There’s a piece of the story below. But the final round up is over at (In) Courage. Click the badge and meet me over there, won’t you? You don’t want to miss this! Because this is all about you.

ORIGINAL POST FOLLOWS BELOW:

Admit it – there is a kaleidoscope of brilliant, beautiful, just plain cracker jack awesome writers out there. They’re transfixing.

You read them. So do I.

They move me. Sometimes to snort tea out of both nostrils; sometimes to reach for the kleenex. Sometimes to grab my kids and hug them ’till they plead for mercy and think there mom is more nutso than usual.

When I read writing like that, I know that I am reading more than a post or a blog (blech, what a ridiculous word anyway to describe these transcendent versions of everyday events). I am reading a person. I am reading a heart, a mind, a caustic sense of humor. I am reading a welcome mat to someone’s life. Sometimes I am reading in the inner sanctum.

And I love it. I love the sacred intimacy of being able to step through the front door of someone’s mind and see the world through their eyes. I love being on the inside.

I bet you do too.

So, here’s the challenge. When last did you say so? When last did you avoid the “read and run” and leave an actual thank-you note; a comment, the cyber version of some milk and cookies for the writer who just gave you the gift of themself?

Let’s do it. Let’s take a day and go buck wild with the comments.

Let’s ponyup some serious comment love. Spread the word. Use the twitter hashtag #ponyup to encourage others to take a moment to say “You rocked my world in a whole new way today” out loud. There’s no prize in this other than the glee of connecting with someone who reached out first – through their writing.

Wanna have some fun?

Here’s a few places to start scouring for somewhere to comment:

• A round up of fav posts from 2009 over at Like a Warm Cup of Coffee – link your post and then #ponyup the comment love all up and down the rest of the linkers.
• A collection of posts spent stargazing into the midst of ordinary moments in search of the extra-ordinary; link and then #ponyup the comment love.
• A place to find a delicious smorgesbord of writing where opportunities to #ponyup always abound is (In) Courage
• And of course there is you. And you, and you. Thank you for writing for us. Thank you for pouring your heart out through your fingertips. Thank you for sharing the ugly cry with us online. You’re freakin’ awesome. I’d love to #ponyup a personal comment for you too. ‘Cause if I haven’t visited your blog yet or if I haven’t left a comment, shame on me.  So, let’s play tag. Leave me your blog address in my comments and I will totally #ponyup and head over there to leave a comment of my own.
• Encourage your readers to do the same for other writers.

Let’s be that big, fat pebble starting a beautiful ripple effect. For free. For fun. For the love of the written word.

Let’s ponyup big time.