While sipping a cup of tea, a good friend turned to me with a questioning look in her eyes and said, “Blogging.. I just don’t get it.”
I fumbled trying to adequately respond and justify my blogging experience. I found it difficult to explain the appeal. Since then, I have given this conversation quite a bit of thought.
After much reflection .. here are my conclusions thus far;
I love the journaling aspect of it. I like the idea of capturing my days and being able to relive them at my leisure.
To create my blog, I am using WordPress software provided through my webhost. Although my blog is based on a template, I have been able to tweak many of the attributes, thereby customizing the look and feel. In the process I am learning more about CSS and PHP. For me it is a new learning curve.
I have never considered myself to be a writer.. most times I feel less than articulate. To top this off.. I am easily one of the world’s worst spellers. I am hoping that this blog will allow me to better learn how to formulate my thoughts into words and increase my ability to outwardly express my thoughts both through writing and verbal communication.
By nature, I am a quiet person.. many times taking on the role of the listener (which I do not mind). This blog will be my voice. As this same friend so elegantly phrased it, “my turn to speak”.
I have learned, in the short time I have been doing this, that there is a very real sense of community in the blogging world. Through this activity I have been able to connect with individuals that I would otherwise never have had the opportunity to meet. In a way, blogging helps me stay connected.. even during those times when I feel the most detached.
Last .. but far from least … I am having fun.
Now I am asking you…
Why blog??
I am actually not sure why I began a blog. I haven’t told my grown children, which is why I haven’t used their names/pictures, etc. I’ve only told one friend so far (and she doesn’t blog). I guess I need an avenue of expression that might help me feel connected with other people out there who I can appreciate from a distance. I’m an odd duck, I guess… reclusive, really, in many respects. I’m experimenting and have no idea how long I’ll be blogging.
I hope you don’t mind if I add your blog to my links. Yours is one I have found to be of interest. Thank you!
Good site, thanks!
Hello Colleen,
I found you via Linda/RVVagabonds and will be back…
I, too, have a friend who said nearly the same thing to me about blogging.
I started blogging to keep family and friends apprised of my life and goings on. I never did well journaling – always sounded too sappy to myself, but somehow, when writing knowing that others will read, things come out better. And I think abit about what I want “the internet” to see. I don’t see that internal editing as a bad thing – I have often not held back on very personal things, but I do think about how I say things. I never write something that is not true. I do sometimes not write everything – again, I’m ok with that as I am fine with keeping private what I deem should be private – either for myself or someone I care about. I will say that blogging has been teaching me about sharing my life, my decisions, my successes and my failures in a way that is succinct, clear and absolutely “my” take – being respectful of differences in everyone’s perspective…which I wish I could say about my thinking as well which unfortunately tends towards the judgmental more than I like. But, my point being, the exercise of working towards writing as I’d like to be thinking is that it DOES increase the habit of thinking kindly and with compassion.
All a long winded explanation of – I started blogging for one reason and I find myself continuing for other reasons entirely. And along the way discovered a love of photography which has become a large part of how I tell the stories I tell. Like so much else in life, blogging has become a journey – an adventure – and I love it!