/reader

 

“It didn’t feel worth it anymore. It took up too much of my life.”

That’s what a customer recently told me during a house inspection, explaining why he’d just resigned from a well-paid, high-ranking position.

I congratulated him and praised his decision. I also shared that I’ve made similar choices in life — ones I’ve never regretted.

It’s so easy to get fixated on coveted roles and impressive salaries. But no amount of money in the world can replace the feeling of true contentment.

This idea applies to most things in life. If prestige is the main ingredient, the flavor will always be lacking. We might get fleeting moments of satisfaction, followed by a bitter aftertaste.

But if we choose the ingredients with heart, and do everything with love, even the simplest “dishes” can create flavors far richer than anything you’d find in a cookbook.

What song makes you want to take a midnight drive?

Easy. I absolutely love that song — and the movie too. It fits so perfectly with that night driving opening scene.

I’ve probably seen the movie five times by now, and just hearing the song makes me want to watch it all over again. 🎵

— My hands are a little dirty.
— So are mine.

Listen to Robert Birming's Apple Music playlist

 

Today, it’s like yesterday’s blog identity crisis never happened.

For a brief moment, I thought to myself, “Why did I even write that when it’s all gone today anyway?”

Then I realized: the reason it feels better today is because I wrote it. Those thoughts needed to become written words for things to shift.

Otherwise, it’s just a mess of thoughts, all mixed up. There’s no way to make sense of it all. Like shaking a box of jigsaw puzzle pieces and hoping for a clear picture.

The pieces need to come out onto the table, so we can start sorting them. This one fits here, that one over there… piece by piece, the picture clears.

And when it comes to blogging, it’s not just about our own words. It’s also about the words from others. Reading comments from fellow bloggers, learning you’re not alone, makes all the difference.

You and me both (overthinking things as usual) 🤪

— Jason Kratz

You’re definitely not alone. I feel the same way. I constantly struggle with post formats and try to find the best way to mix different content styles.

— Darren Hester

I’m sure many of us have been through this struggle. I decided to stop overthinking it and just have everything in micro.blog.

— Matt Routley

I have sat with this same conundrum, Robert. […] So far I have not moved on this, in part because of time and in part because I don’t know what I want the finished product to look like.

— David Johnson

It’s wonderful to see! Yet another lovely sign of the beauty of blogging and how powerful and valuable it can be.

Thank you all! 😍

I get that it’s probably ultra-boring for most people to read about this crap again and again, but maybe some bloggers are going through the same dilemma. And for me personally, it always feels a little better when I write about it.

I know it’s my blog, but…

I totally agree with people who say “it’s my blog, I can do whatever I want with it”. But when it comes to my blog, I still haven’t made peace with the idea of having a site that’s both a blog and a status log. I kind of wish I could, but it just feels messy.

Actually, the same goes for other people’s blogs. If I subscribe to a feed after reading a blog post I really liked, I expect to keep getting pretty much that kind of content. If it suddenly starts filling up with “status update”-type posts, I’d probably unsubscribe. Honestly.

Maybe that’s weird, I don’t know, but that’s how I feel.

Different bloggers, different needs

Maybe this whole “I can do whatever I want with my blog” mindset also depends on what kind of blogger you are. I enjoy sharing a song I like or a photo I’ve shot, but writing longer posts is what I truly love. It’s the main reason why I blog in the first place.

I’m not saying one thing is right and another is wrong — I’m just trying to put my view and feelings into words.

I don’t have a solution, but I felt (once again) that I needed to get it off my chest. Right now, as I’m writing this, I’m thinking that a good setup might be to use my Micro.blog for the micro posts and another platform for longer content — maybe back to Bear or Pika, or try Pagecord. It’s not super important, really, but I think it would be good for me to keep things separate platform-wise (if I decide to go that route).

Anyway, that’s where I’m at — again.

Sorry for taking up your time with this ramble — again.

What's your favorite song about change?

I guess many others will pick this one as well — not because of the matching title, but because it’s a great song. 🎵

Listen to Robert Birming's Apple Music playlist

Share a song that perfectly captures anticipation.

Because I look forward to that paradiddle cymbal fill every time. 🥁🎵

Listen to Robert Birming's Apple Music playlist

 

If there’s one quality I hope people would say about me, it’s this:

“He’s a good listener.”

It’s also one of the qualities I value most in others.

Sadly, in today’s society, it feels like that kind of listening has become rare. We’ve grown so caught up in “me, myself, and I” that listening has almost turned into a lost art.

You can see it in people’s eyes — they’re just waiting for the first chance to jump in and say their piece. It’s like they’re hearing, but not really listening.

It’s sad. And honestly, quite a shame.

Because there’s so much we can gain by truly listening. A lifetime of wisdom from the elderly. A fresh perspective from the young.

The stories. The emotions. The insights.

We listen and we learn, as the saying goes.

Let’s make that our motto. Words to live by.

I love that approach!

There’s no need for a master plan (most of the time). Just get started and see what happens — the rest will follow along the way.

There are so many great options for launching a blog with very little effort and completely free these days. Just launch! That’s really the only way to find out if it’s for you or not.

I hope it is. There’s so much to love about blogging: the creativity, the personal growth and discoveries, the community around it. The list goes on…

And if you realize it’s not for you, no harm done. But if it turns out it is for you, it can be a priceless life-changer.

I think many bloggers would agree with me when I say that I love seeing new blogs pop up. It’s like, “Yes, another fellow human being has discovered blogging!”

As the Swedish saying goes: Shared joy is double joy.

Blogging is rewarding not just because of the personal growth, but also because of the unity that comes with it. Not in the sense of clicks and likes, but in those genuine human interactions.

Blogs may be digital, but the beautiful feeling and camaraderie they create are anything but. It’s real!

Speaking of unity, this blog post is part of JulyReply.

 

This post started out as my Crucial Tracks entry for today. The prompt was:

What song makes you feel like you’re in a dream?

I immediately thought of Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush, inspired by Emily Brontë’s novel with the same title.

I love that song! To me, it really feels like being in a dream. It’s like something taken from a fairytale — which it pretty much is, considering the ghostly novel it’s based on.

I once saw an interview where Kate Bush was asked why she sings the way she does on that track. She explained that since she’s playing the character Cathy, who was a spirit (if you’re not familiar with the story — it’s kind of like Baby Reindeer on steroids), the song needed some kind of ethereal effect. Hence the high register.

I also love the “red dress version” of the video for Wuthering Heights. She really moves like a spirit and illustrates the lyrics in such a wonderful way.

Like all great music, it lives on in its timelessness. In fact, there was a news story about it in Swedish media today — it’s in Swedish, but there’s a video clip too that’s quite a fun watch… and maybe just a little awkward. A group of people, all dressed in red, got together and danced to honor the song.

Music might not have the power to change the world, but it sure can accomplish a lot.

What song makes you feel like you're in a dream?

I love that song! To me, it really feels like being in a dream. Read more: Dancing with ghosts 🎵

Listen to Robert Birming's Apple Music playlist

 

I heard someone say that we need to understand our past in order to create our future.

But is that really true? Do we have to “understand” our history? Isn’t it enough that we’ve learned from it — that we’ve used it to shape better conditions moving forward?

How can we even claim to understand the choices we made back then, when we’re no longer the same person? We change. We are a new version of ourselves in every moment.

And this idea of “creating our future” — what does that really mean? Do we even have that kind of power? We can aim for something, we can hope and plan, but we can never truly predict what’s to come.

In the end, we live in uncertainty. That’s the fragility — and the beauty — of life.

And while we’re busy trying to make sense of the past and shape the future, aren’t we overlooking something? A piece that’s even more important than both where we’ve been and where we think we’re going. Something that isn’t a memory or a projection.

The present.

Trying out Crucial Tracks, and what better way to start than with my all-time favorite song: The Highwayman by Jimmy Webb. I love everything about it — the lyrics, the music, the vocals, and how the instruments mirror the story. A true masterpiece! 🎵

Listen to Robert Birming's Apple Music playlist

 

I’m using the lovely mnml theme for my blog and decided to try letting AI improve it from a readability perspective.

I used Gemini for the task, since I have a free Pro trial. Here’s the prompt I started off with:

Edit these styles with good readability in mind, giving it a pleasant relaxed feeling while also being beautiful.

I kept the suggested color scheme as it was, but I did ask for a slightly darker background for dark mode. The original one (#282c34) is still live, but I might switch to the proposed option: #252930. (Anyone who’s ever tried web design for more than 30 minutes knows how easy it is to get stuck on things like this. 😅)

Some of the other recommendations I kept, some I tweaked, and some I skipped entirely.

Here’s an example of some I decided to keep (along with Gemini’s comments):

body {
  /* ... existing background and color ... */
  font-size: 1.9rem; /* Slightly larger for improved readability and relaxed feel (19px) */
  line-height: 1.65; /* A bit more space between lines for better flow */
  /* ... rest of body styles ... */
}

/* Ensure consistent line-height for headings as well if not already inherited well */
h1,
h2,
h3,
h4,
h5,
h6 {
  line-height: 1.3; /* Slightly more space for multi-line headings */
}

p {
  margin-bottom: 1.5rem; /* Consistent spacing between paragraphs */
}

I don’t know if this qualifies as “vibe coding”, but it was my first attempt at using AI for web design guidance.

I’m quite happy with the results. What do you think?

 

I recently overheard a conversation where someone proudly shared a photo of their grandchildren. The lighthearted response was a joke about the grandchildren doing the same in reverse:

“Look, this is my grandmother. Isn’t she cute? Guess what she said today?”

At first, it made me smile — but the thought lingered and slowly turned into a rather sad reflection.

In some cultures, this scenario wouldn’t be far-fetched at all. Older people are deeply respected and revered, seen as keepers of wisdom and invaluable life experience.

They’re the ones everyone turns to when life gets complicated. Not just because they’ve “been there”, but because their experience carries weight. Their stories, their lessons, their way of seeing the world — all of it is held sacred.

But in our part of the world, age is seen as something to hide or overcome. Elders are often seen more as obstacles, despite carrying a treasure trove of hard-earned insight — lessons shaped over decades by the most relentless teacher of all: Life.

What a waste that we don’t value this precious knowledge more.