flower_smellerSomeone told me I smelled this week and I couldn’t be less insulted. Mike, author of the Mr. Grudge blog, honored me with a Flower Smellers award. I’m deeply humbled because this award is like no other.

The folks over at Go! Smell the Flowers have created a new award that Mike was one of the first five ever to receive. Go! Smell the Flowers is an international blogging community (20 founders from 10 countries) whose mission it is to “inform, entertain, and enlighten people from all over our increasingly smaller world.” They created this award to recognize others who, in their own way, smell the flowers and make the world a better place.

That Mike would pass this award on to me before paint even dried got me all misty-eyed. I discovered Mike’s blog a few months ago and have been hooked ever since. Mike is a master storyteller. His pieces run the gamut — from the compelling to the sweet, from the inspiring to the tear-inducing. Mike’s stories are consistently engaging and it seems unfair that one person can have that much talent. Share a little, will ya?

As a humor writer, I’m driven by the hope of making people laugh. But by reading Mike’s work, I’m reminded I still have to weave a story. It’s what I try to remember before I hit the publish button. Mike, thank you for proving that writing is an art form and to do it well honors your craft. You make me want to be a better writer.

You can read what he said about me and my blog over at his place. See why I got all misty? Sheesh, if I wasn’t already married….

As a new member of the Go! Smell the Flowers community, I get to bestow the award onto others. What I like about this award is you don’t necessarily have to pass it on to other bloggers. One of my honorees isn’t.

Julia DeGraf, author of the I Do Things So You Don’t Have To blog. Julia was one of the first humor bloggers I discovered. We share similar senses of humor and became fast friends as a result. Our daily email exchanges are laugh riots and they’re one of the reasons a potentially bad day never seems to become one. Her creatively-named blog is the first pit stop on my daily rounds. Every single one of her stories slays me, and some leave me in a state of wonderment, as when she videotaped a medical procedure she had done that had me squirming in my seat. She means it when she says “I do things so you don’t have to.” Thanks, Julia! Now I don’t have to worry.

Cardiogirl, author of the Cardiogirl: 19% Body Fat 100% Fun blog, is my personal hero. Hers is a blog that puts it all out there — every last raw bit of it. Her life struggles are laid out bare for everyone to see. She sees injustice in the world, grabs it by the collar and slaps it in the face. That girl’s got guts. I award her this badge for her fearlessness and her determination in the face of life’s obstacles. To do all that with a wicked sense of humor is hard. No, it’s damn near impossible. Cardiogirl, take a bow and never stop cutting through the crap.

Dan Balogh, author of Dan’s Blah Blah Blog, is an inspiration to me. Only a month after discovering his hilarious blog, he promptly shut it down so he could devote his spare time to writing his memoirs. He knows how mad I still am. We began writing each other privately, and he was instrumental in giving me the courage to publish a story about my grade school nightmares. I have him to thank for encouraging me to put it all out there and to see humor in tragedy. Without his support, I wouldn’t have what has become one of my most successful posts to-date. Dan, hurry up with your book so you can get back to your blog. You owe us!

Now for the non-blogger — my niece Regan. When I started my blog I had pitifully few readers. I didn’t know at the time whether The Junk Drawer would ever take off, but I always knew I could count on Regan to read my posts and leave witty and keen observations in the comments box. She’s elevated me to rock star status and thinks I’ll be famous one day. Whenever I was slow to publish, she would ring me up and say “Got anything new?” She has no idea how that uplifted me when I faltered for something to write. Thank you, Regan. If I ever become famous, you’ll get to say you were with me right from the start.

Mike, thank you for naming me a Flower Smeller and giving me the chance to share stories of how others are making blogging some of the most fun I’ve had in my life.

Stumble it!