I feel like this blog post could actually be titled "why do you blog when 9 million other people already do too?" Now, there probably is an actual statistic (that I don't know) on how many people have blogs right at this moment but it is somewhere in the millions. So, I just expect people to wonder why I bother to do it. Okay, the easy answer is that it started as part of a course for my master's, which is entirely true. I took an elective course on blogging and, obviously, had to create and maintain a blog--but that class ended months ago. Honestly I kind of expected I would stop when school started. I enjoyed keeping up with posts over the summer as a creative outlet and to share about our house and what we were doing to renovate. Once school started, though, I knew I wouldn't have much time and figured I would just . . . stop. Somehow though, I kept going. Why? Honestly because I enjoy it. I enjoy writing (always have) and, just as my professor said I would, I love having a place to share and keep all of our memories. In my blogging class, we talked about how, at first, blogging felt really intimidating to a lot of us because it says "I have something worth saying." What did we have to offer that was unique from the millions of other blogs out there? What do we have that was worth sharing and worth other people's time reading? I wouldn't say I really have an answer to that except that at a certain point, probably just after the class ended, I realized that I didn't care. Don't get me wrong--I LOVE it when people read it. I love it when people leave comments. It's the most flattering thing when people say they've read my blog and enjoy reading it. It makes my day. BUT, the great Liz Gilbert says that she wishes people would stop saying "what would you do if knew you couldn't fail?" because she says people should really ask, "what would you do if you knew you would fail?" What would you do even if you knew it would be a disaster, that it wouldn't end well, that you would stop doing it? For me, that's blogging. I don't do it because I feel special or have this great talent or wisdom to share. I don't do it to show off or be cool. I do it for the same reason people paint or play sports or (God bless them) run marathons -- enjoyment. I like that blogging has helped me see myself as a writer. I like that it's given me a voice and given me a place to express myself in a different and new way. I like that it helps me share my life with family and friends (and I'm still adjusting to the fact that it might now or eventually also help me share my life with strangers). I like that it's a creative outlet and that I finally have a better answer than "watch T.V." when people ask me my hobbies. Writing this blog has made me a better writer, which has made me a better teacher. It's helped me be more creative. It's definitely helped me read more books to keep up with nearly weekly book review posts--and I'm very grateful for that. It's helped keep my life more balanced so that not everything I do is school. Plus it's a really great place to over-share pictures of our cat. It's made my life better and I hope, at least in some small way, it has made yours better too-- and, since I haven't said it yet, thank you for being here. It makes my day every time I see that someone has read or left a comment or when someone tells me they read my blog. So, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Carry on, friends.
1 Comment
patty hamilton
1/13/2017 08:11:15 am
sometimes we are so afraid to start new things but once we do new, unexpected doors open. This is but one wonderful example!
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