What you are about to read is geeky, but don’t run away! It has direct applications to your non-techie life… just wait.
A WordPress “Plug-in” is defined as an outside program you can search for, upload, and install into your WordPress blog for added functionality. One Plug-in example is the cute “Share and Enjoy!” bar you see directly below this article. My WordPress theme didn’t come with this: I had to find and install it. And now you can easily share this post! And please do.
However, here’s what I didn’t realize: sometimes these Plug-ins have unintended consequences. Upon uploading and inserting them, each Plug-in’s “Code” is slipped inside the coding of your blog. For the most part, that is just fine and dandy… except when it inadvertently interacts with and screws up the functions of other parts of your blog!
Case in point: When I first learned about Plug-ins last week I went Plug crazy and installed about forty. Suddenly, I lost the ability to change the font on my blog! After deleting twenty-five of the little Plugs, my font-changing powers suddenly returned. Yowza!
Case in point, Part Two: Some other Plug-in weirdness caused all my thumbnail photos to be cropped in the upper left tiny corner, thus making all my “teaser” photos that accompany article excerpts show merely… the sky. So tempting to click on a big, boring, blue box, eh? I am still figuring out how to combat this particular bug, but until I solve it, I’ve found a way to get around it by uploading custom teaser pics.
Ahem. Enough geek-a-liciousness. How does this relate to YOU? Answer: when you plug something exciting and new into your life, there are always kooky unintended consequences amid the benefits.
I hardly need to give examples, because I bet you are suddenly thinking of twelve for yourself, be they new loves or new jobs (and please share them in the Comments section!) but for me, now, the most relevant example is the following. If you “Plug In” an Around the World Journey into your existence, the benefits of extended travel are many… but what are the unintended consequences in your subsequent functioning in society? How does travel change you?
I guess we’ll find out soon!
Photo Note: These vibrant photos are from a trek with an awesome Valencia Tourism Ministry guru up to the 6,000-year-old rock paintings at Cova Remigia in Castillon, Spain. The rest of the trek and the paintings themselves will be featured in subsequent posts!
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!