What's Blogging?
Recently a friend of mine was telling me all about the several blogs she reads on a daily basis. She shared a couple of them with me, and then she went on to tell me that her dream job is to be a full-time blogger. Stop. What?!?!? I didn't know there was such a thing. I guess I've read a few blogs here and there but never knew that you could actually make a living just by pouring your heart and soul into a public diary. This made me curious. So I decided to really start reading a couple of the blogs that have caught my attention in the past, to see what the craze really is all about. What I realized is that this may be right up my alley. What have I been missing?
When I was younger, mainly in high school, I wrote. I wrote and wrote and wrote. I still have storage boxes full of notebooks which I kept as diaries that document my every silly adventure, every fight with my best friend, mom, sister, brother, every boring night spent at home wishing I had a boyfriend, every date, every whirlwind romance, every dream, every aspiration, every disappointment, every love. It was an outlet and it got me through those tough years, the years that every teenage girl thinks are the hardest years of her life, but then in retrospect, realizes that those were actually the best years of her life; and wishes she could do them all again, but with the knowledge and wisdom she now possesses as a result of all of those experiences.
I uncovered my boxes of notebooks a few months ago as I was cleaning out my basement and as I poured through the pages, I found myself amused, brought to tears, and most of all in awe of how well I actually wrote many of the entries. And some of the poetry I wrote could pass for the lyrics on a Taylor Swift album! I also wrote short stories...never finished most of them, but still they were wonderful beginnings to stories with no end. Mostly, I just wrote about stuff, whatever was on my mind. And believe me, there was a lot on my mind.
At some point, though, in the summer after my senior year, the writing stopped. I'm sure I just got busy with post-high school activities, college planning and boyfriend drama, but maybe at the time I also felt I had outgrown my notebooks. I don't really recall. Whatever the reason, I have a gap of about 20 years where my life has not been documented for future prosperity. That may be a good thing, but I also think that had I kept it up, I would've been delighted with myself for having such a perfect record of my life to-date.
I've felt called lately to begin writing again, even before my blogging conversation with my friend. Lack of time prevents me from getting out the old notebooks and hand-writing my thoughts in all sorts of colored inks. So maybe this whole blogging thing was planted in my head to give me the tool I was subconsciously searching for so that I can resume my writing. Maybe at some point, too, I'll go back and fill in the 20-year gap...what I can recall of it anyway. For now, though, I'll start with my life at present. As a wife and mother of 3 with a full-time professional career, and lots of family activities to fill the in-between, my opportunities to write are limited. But those are also the reasons that compel me to record my thoughts and experiences in writing. After all, if it's on my computer, then it no longer needs to take up space in my busy brain, does it?
When I was younger, mainly in high school, I wrote. I wrote and wrote and wrote. I still have storage boxes full of notebooks which I kept as diaries that document my every silly adventure, every fight with my best friend, mom, sister, brother, every boring night spent at home wishing I had a boyfriend, every date, every whirlwind romance, every dream, every aspiration, every disappointment, every love. It was an outlet and it got me through those tough years, the years that every teenage girl thinks are the hardest years of her life, but then in retrospect, realizes that those were actually the best years of her life; and wishes she could do them all again, but with the knowledge and wisdom she now possesses as a result of all of those experiences.
I uncovered my boxes of notebooks a few months ago as I was cleaning out my basement and as I poured through the pages, I found myself amused, brought to tears, and most of all in awe of how well I actually wrote many of the entries. And some of the poetry I wrote could pass for the lyrics on a Taylor Swift album! I also wrote short stories...never finished most of them, but still they were wonderful beginnings to stories with no end. Mostly, I just wrote about stuff, whatever was on my mind. And believe me, there was a lot on my mind.
At some point, though, in the summer after my senior year, the writing stopped. I'm sure I just got busy with post-high school activities, college planning and boyfriend drama, but maybe at the time I also felt I had outgrown my notebooks. I don't really recall. Whatever the reason, I have a gap of about 20 years where my life has not been documented for future prosperity. That may be a good thing, but I also think that had I kept it up, I would've been delighted with myself for having such a perfect record of my life to-date.
I've felt called lately to begin writing again, even before my blogging conversation with my friend. Lack of time prevents me from getting out the old notebooks and hand-writing my thoughts in all sorts of colored inks. So maybe this whole blogging thing was planted in my head to give me the tool I was subconsciously searching for so that I can resume my writing. Maybe at some point, too, I'll go back and fill in the 20-year gap...what I can recall of it anyway. For now, though, I'll start with my life at present. As a wife and mother of 3 with a full-time professional career, and lots of family activities to fill the in-between, my opportunities to write are limited. But those are also the reasons that compel me to record my thoughts and experiences in writing. After all, if it's on my computer, then it no longer needs to take up space in my busy brain, does it?
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