Let's Talk About... Blogger Envy

Yup... I'm gonna go there. But really, I'm not going much of anywhere. Don't worry! :)

Summer is the time of year that I am most subject to blogger envy. You all know what I'm talking about. When you see others posting their BEA recaps and their ALA recaps, which show how many ARCs and signed books they got, and people who live near big cities post about all the signings they're going to. (The signings kind of happen year round, but it seems a little bigger in the summer. Maybe I'm wrong.) If you're like me, you don't get to go to those conventions and you don't live close to places authors come to very often. In the heat of the summer, you can't help but be pretty darn jealous of those people.

There is nothing wrong with that. It's natural to be envious of people who get the things you want. I know I sit at my computer, seeing the stacks and stacks of books that I'm dying to read, and wishing I could have them, wishing I could go to the conventions and the signings. When I get like this, I try to keep a couple of things in mind.

First, I did not start blogging so I could go to conventions and author signings. I could easily go to those things without being a blogger. But, if I weren't a blogger, I would not be exposed to so much information about them, either. Honestly, if I didn't blog, I probably would not know about BEA or ALA. The access bloggers get to these things is a perk, and not everyone in the world can receive that perk at any one time. Simple as that. I don't blog for books; I blog because I love to share my opinions and discuss books with others.

Second, I could very easily be one of those lucky people at any time. Every so often, an author I am unbelievably excited to meet comes close enough that I can go. I flip out and dance around. It's expected. There's bound to be someone out there who is jealous of me. Maybe one day I'll get to go to one of the big conventions, then I can be one of those people posting a recap. Just because I didn't go this year doesn't mean I won't ever go. Circumstances change.

Like I said, it's natural to wish you could have the opportunities others are having right now. It always seems that it's best to have something immediately. But, I also think it's important to remember that your exclusion from events this time doesn't mean you'll be left out later. You'll be the one everyone is jealous of, just be patient. :)

To be clear, I'm not condoning angry, irrational jealousy, where someone says something rude or acts rashly. I'm only talking about mild jealousy, where someone sitting at home says to themself, "Darn, I wish I could've been there."

So, are you like me? Do you get a little pouty every time you see a stack of books you're dying to read? Or do you try to keep it in perspective?