Blog to Unblock: Menulis untuk Mengalirkan

TODAY was memorable. The moment I stepped into the train to take me back to Bogor after an acupuncture therapy, I encountered a memorable view. It was perhaps a moment of conscience.

I spotted a middle-aged man sitting alone on the corner of the seat. It was several minutes after 11 when sun was bright but its heat was impeded by the air-conditioned railway coach. So my mind was obsessed with the man while I was pretending to be reading the book I read earlier.

His graying hair was glaring, unable to be concealed beneath the old hat he’s wearing. I felt reluctant to take a photo of him even though he was deep asleep. Instead, I silently shot only his shoes with my smartphone. It’s his footwear that appeared very grabby: a pair of strikingly purple shoes accentuated with orange lining.

I wondered what he was dreaming. He was obviously sleeping in total content. I was curious what had made him so beaten that he was falling into a sound sleep. The instant my mind was wandering, he woke up and looked around as if asking for confirmation that he was safe to be back sleeping.

His polo t-shirt features a renowned national newspaper that sparked another question of how he had got it. The blue jeans he was wearing were worn out with its ends rolled up, revealing particular dirt as though he had been working in the mud. The rest of the jeans was stained likewise.

The end of his belt was sticking out of an old black leather bag he was tightly hugging. The bag seemed to contain a lot and looked heavy too. Right beside him, down on the floor, an inch from the door, was a big plastic bag that was likely full of stuff resembling his fat belly. On top of the plastic bag lay a wooden stump which I kept figuring what it was for.

What I saw tempted me to generate several questions: Where is he traveling? From where did he depart? Are there people waiting for his arrival? What was he dreaming precisely? How does he view the world? What was he feeling during the train nap? What emotions run through him as he stepped out of the train?

I soon related those questions to my blogging experience. What do I blog for? What drives me to write on the blog? For the sake of money or mere popularity? I should look back in 2011 when blogging became a passion and favorite pastime. I have seen and met a variety of bloggers ever since. Some blog for money, some for popularity, and some other for sharing, either knowledge and networking.

Referring to the man I told earlier, I am probably like a foreigner in the vast jungle of blogosphere. I was still undetermined to have a stance. In fact, I have always been a newbie myself in terms of blogging. And this leads me to a resolution.

I need to resolve that it’s imperative that I blog to unblock. Unblock what? Unblock everything blocked. And this may imply a huge scope of interpretation. I must write to untangle situation, to pierce obstacles, to help with the distribution of information all over the country for good cause, to be committed to sharing useful tips and tricks for readers, to monetize blog for income, to gain valuable spirit of fellow bloggers who never quit learning–and above all, to unblock my mind in order to endorse a life of gratitude.

Selamat Hari Blogger Nasional

Jarum jam baru beringsut sekian menit dari angka 11 saat saya memasuki kereta KRL jurusan Bogor. Cuaca cerah, matahari benderang, tapi panas tidak menyengat. Sejuk AC segera melupakan hangat matahari di luar.

Tangan spontan mengeluarkan buku yang menemani sepanjang perjalanan. Baru beberapa halaman terbuka, mata tiba-tiba menangkap pandangan tak biasa. Tepat di depan saya, di ujung kursi, duduk seorang pria paruh Baya. Rambutnya sebagian memutih. Topi lusuhnya tak bisa menyembunyikan helai-helai putih yang semarak.

Saya tak berani memotretnya, meskipun ia tengah tertidur lelap. Entah mimpi apa. Sekejap kemudian dia terbangun dan menyapu gerbong yang tak terisi penuh. Kantuk rupanya begitu berat, sebab ia lantas terlelap begitu dalam.

Saya perhatikan dia sepenuhnya. Bepergian sendiri, tertidur lelap. Kaos polo putihnya menunjukkan merek salah satu surat kabar nasional bertiras besar. Celana jeans tampak sangat lusuhnya, ujung-ujungnya digulung ke atas, menampakkan kotoran seperti lumpur atau tanah yang menempel. Ujung sabuk menyembul dari balik tas hitam yang dia peluk. Perutnya tampak tak muat dalam jeans yang belel itu.

Di sebelah kanan, di bawah, tepat di samping pintu, terletak sebuah plastik besar berwarna hitam, dengan sebilah kayu bekas menindih plastik tersebut. Entah apa yang ada dalam tas dan plastik itu. Tas tampak penuh, seperti perutnya yang membuncit. Jambang putihnya sangat menonjol, agak tak terawat. Yang menarik adalah sepatu yang ia kenakan, berwarna ungu menyala dengan oranye sebagai aksen.

Ternyata kami turun di stasiun yang sama. Saya sempat tergoda untuk mendekatinya namun urung sebab percakapan secara sengaja kadang malah merusak suasana. Perjumpaan singkat beberapa puluh menit ini membuat saya menyusun banyak pertanyaan. Mengusik hati untuk mempertanyakan.

Dari manakah dia bertolak? Asal stasiunnya. Apa yang sedang ia mimpikan sampai tidurnya begitu tenang? Adakah orang lain yang menanti kedatangannya di suatu tempat? Yang menunggu dan menyambutnya dengan gembira.

Bagaimana dia memandang hidup ini? Apa yang dia rasakan saat berada dalam ketenangan di atas kereta? Ataukah ia sebenarnya resah dan tidur semata-mata untuk menutupi masalahnya? Semua ini pertanyaan yang relevan diajukan di Hari Blogger Nasional.

Begitu banyak bloger dengan berbagai tema, kemampuan, dan karakter. Begitu banyak bloger hebat dan mampu menebar manfaat. Atau sebaliknya. Saya menoleh ke tahun 2011 saat memulai jadi bloger. Apa motivasi utama menulis sebagai narablog? Adakah yang menanti tulisan acakadut yang tidak ajeg menyambangi pembaca? Ke manakah arah blog ini selain kecerewetan tak berarti?

Dan ternyata isu yang penting adalah blog to unblock, yakni ngeblog untuk membuka blok, mengurai yang kusut, memecah hambatan. Terjemahannya bisa sangat luas: mengalirkan arus komunikasi dan informasi demi kemajuan bersama untuk tujuan yang positif, berbagi tips dan kiat sesuai kemampuan, membuka kran rezeki untuk keluarga, menambah semangat belajar yang mentok, menimba gairah untuk hidup yang penuh syukur–dengan apa pun itu hingga menguraikan karut marut pikiran sendiri.

Selamat Hari Blogger Nasional, manteman bloger! Apa arti Blog untukmu? 😁