Tagged

Wonder of wonders! I have been given a Thinking Blogger Award by Lone Grey Squirrel.

I have no idea how this happened, but thank you a million times, Squirrel. I am thrilled and honored.

The Thinking Blogger Award began in February 2007 when Ilker Yoldas decided to combine the meme concept with links to blogs with quality content.

Here are the rules:

1. If tagged, you must write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to the original post, so that people can find the originator.
3. Optional: Display the Thinking Blogger Award with a link to the post that you wrote about it.
4. Tag 5 others whose blogs make you think.

Well. My first reaction was disbelief. I got over that quickly, in only a day or so, and moved into Phase 2, which can best be summed up as Wow. Cool.

The Wow phase was almost immediately replaced with Uh oh. I don't know how to make links. My template and I have never become really friendly. I venture into the bowels of my blog only to add to my link list. Much as I admire those who can scoot around in there on roller skates, customizing everything within an inch of their lives, well, I'm not one of them.

And then, worse yet, came the horrifying thought: How can I possibly choose only five blogs when there are so many excellent ones?

In my view, they ALL deserve awards. And I should know because I read them.

This won't be easy. In making my choices, I tried to adhere to the letter of the law as well as its spirit: Blogs that make me think. Some of my favorite reads of the day are not included because they make me laugh, I mean spilling-coffee laugh, not contemplate deep truths.

If there is an award for absolute funniest out there, my vote will go to Mist1. Kevin Charnas is also a hilarious fellow. He has caused my keyboard considerable distress over spilled beverages that made it onto my desk. I cannot laugh and do anything else at the same time.

Goodthomas and Maht at The Moon Topples are both fantastic writers and most interesting gentlemen. I adore their blogs, and they both deserve awards for artistry. Lee at Studio Twenty-Three is a fantastic visual artist and delightfully quirky. I love her blog. She also deserves a big award for all-around creativity.

I first included Theory of Thought, which never ceases to blow my mind because it is written by a 16-year old. 17 now? This young woman not only writes like an angel, but she addresses topics that are so beyond the breadth of most people twice her age that I used to wonder if this blog was a scam -- a person with vast experience in life pretending to be a teenager.

She also has such a balanced and mature understanding, even in the sensitive arena of mother-daughter conflict, that I just read her posts and marvel at her depth. I feel that I should be saving them against the day she becomes a published writer (and grownup.)

Then I discovered that Csl had already tagged her. I would like to give the award to those who haven't yet been recognized for this one. (I learned after writing this that she has also nominated me. I feel so very honored.)

So many great blogs.

1. Thailand Gal. Chani's posts invariably excite a growing number of us. Her commentators are usually so carried away with her topic of the day that we go on forever. She sparks something in her readers when she puts a subject out there, so her blog absolutely personifies the art and science of thinking.

Chani also demonstrates amazing reserves of intelligent compassion. She questions everything and then draws her own conclusions. She never buys into group mind, but is always completely herself. I greatly admire her and her spirit of adventure. Chani, this one's for you!

2. Katrice at Wait, I'll Think of Something is another great favorite of mine. She is always on the mark and never disappoints. She intersperses fun features like Hunk of the Month with her thoughts on life and its stages, along with reflections on her childhood, which are always fascinating and so beautifully evoked that reading them almost feels like being there.

Katrice is someone with whom I personally feel a tremendous rapport. Her posts are thought -provoking and her presence is comforting. Congratulations on being you, Katrice!

3. Urban Urchin at Urban Urchin.com writes delightful posts about her children, work, childhood allergies, and other subjects with great wit and sensitivity. She practices kindness and love, and always gives us something to think about. She is a formidable force for good in the blogosphere, and the world.

A clothing designer whose name I suspect we would all recognize, her priorities are those she loves. Her writing challenges me to think about unusual topics, and I think she would be a great friend in need. Yayyy, Urchin.

4. Lex of On Second Thought expounds on everything from food to religion to her ex-husband. She is always thought-provoking in the extreme. Her personality infuses everything she writes, from her sense of ethics to her sense of fun, while her care for others shines through.

Re-inventing herself after a disastrous marriage, she parses every issue to find its reality, and is not afraid to discuss anything, no matter how sensitive the topic. She is in many ways my idol for her courage and multi-faceted personality. Hurray for Lex!!

5. Liz at Los Angelista's Guide to the Pursuit of Happiness is a great writer. She delves into issues as diverse as race relations and pop culture, and can make even a routine visit to Starbucks an anthropological field study. She is insightful, clever, and always expressive. Her dry sense of humor is sharp but never mean.

Liz taught English in China and her observations and ruminations about being in a place where nobody else looked like her are fascinating. Keep it up, Liz. You're the greatest.

May I reiterate that ALL the blogs in my roster are amazing, and add something to my daily life in so many different ways. Please check them all out. You won't be sorry.