able. Friends wrote back and the conversations started buzzing. Today there are about a hundred readers on any given day at www.pullupachair.org, and she’s counted 20,000 unique visitors.

The View from the Other Side

“I found that by telling my own stories or those of the world right around me  —  my children, my family  —  I was able to tap into a level of meaning that lasted,” says Barbara. “It held meaning for me, gave meaning to my life, and I had an ink-ling that others might find meaning in the same things.

“I am quite happy to think that many people take the time to make it a part of their every day,” says Barbara. “I loved early on when those who comment on the blog realized that I was looking for them to share their stories, their beautiful writing and ideas. It became a conversation then, a spiraling up each day. I started it, but the layers of comments and thought took it soaring to new heights, and to nooks and crannies I’d not gotten to.”

What’s most exciting is that her community has formed its own hub. Fourteen of her most regular readers who share their comments frequently gathered in the winter of 2007 in Barbara’s kitchen to meet face to face. One even flew in from Arizona. The “breakfast” gathering began at 10 a.m., and the last visitors walked out the door at 5:30 p.m.

Following Your Passions

In an entry in honor of Martin Luther King Day 2008, Barbara reminds us all that it is never too late to pursue our