An Aquarian Journal Entry

An Aquarian Journal Entry

Some Horoscope Guru said this is my year - a great year for Aquarius to manifest all the things and I should start Journaling.

So here I am - I begin Journaling today - March 3, 2023 - because the Horror-scope Guru said I should, so why not? I’ve not been much of a Journaller in the past, but maybe I’ll learn something.

I don’t live by what my Zodiac proclaims, but I can’t say it’s all wrong, either.

Being an Aquarius, I’m already a wordsmith, extremely creative and a deep-thinker. Maybe I can take my excessive knowledge and organize it in a meaningful and focused way.

Maybe, in my idealistic vision of the world, despite their misunderstanding of my unique character, all the people will love me and my words. I am a genius, after all.

So, let me think, what wisdom can I share today? What have I learned? Well, I do know that I still don’t understand how to write Magic Realism and that spammers and ChatBots annoy the heck outta me. I have also learned I am not alone in either of these things.

Let’s focus on why chatbots irritate me so much. I think it’s because of the disingenuous characters behind it, and their misconstrued intentions. I work really hard to reach out, or reciprocate, to others in a very authentic way. Using a bot to “interact” with people is lazy and rude. It’s tacky. I grew up around false smiles and misleading interactions. I have worked very hard to overcome and disengage from it. I am offended to have it wedged into my life now. Such interactions leave me feeling tricked and manipulated.

I wrote several other articles dealing with the issue of engaging properly with a fanbase. If you’re interested in reading them, I’ve included the links below.

And another thing related to the idea of authenticity - offering a “Like for Like” or “Sub for sub” is offensive. How is that helpful for anyone? Obtaining higher numbers does not equate to more reads if received through means of bartering. Say if I do reciprocate a subscription because you offered to swap, I’m not going to read your work anyway if I don’t care for it and vice versa - why would I think I can count on you for reads or as a fan? It’s not helpful. And if you tell me to read your piece, like your work, or subscribe to you, chances are I won’t even look because I find your behavior rude. If I like your work which I find through genuine engagement, I will subscribe. Authentically. I expect others to do the same for me. If you don’t like my work, please don’t like or subscribe. If you enjoy my stuff, please do. Anything else is just selfish.

Wow! This first journal entry seems to be a rambling mess. Maybe I’ll get more organized with practice. Or maybe I’ll just not do anymore. As my Zodiac says, I’m much more of a visionary than a plan implementor. (Although, I do like to make plans, I tend to get side-tracked with all the possibilities.)

Keila Aartila grew up in a small, rural community surrounded by animals and family. She, along with her husband and daughter, horses and other pets, now live on 40 acres in Northern Wisconsin, surrounded by forest and wildlife. She has spent her life reading about, writing about and working with animals, her goal always to be as reliable, trustworthy and honest as a horse, but her innate humaness keeps getting in the way. She remains determined to keep trying, though.