Last week, I had something to say... something interesting. Something that might have actually been worth sharing. A topic in the news was making my blood boil. It was controversial, and the loudest voices were the ones who said they were speaking for me, representing my wishes. They were wrong. I disagreed.
I drafted my comments in my head for 2 days. But I didn't have time to type them.
And now...now it's too late.
What I had to say is no longer relevant.
Which got me thinking about this blog.
I've struggled a lot with the purpose of blogging. I'm not one of those self-absorbed divas who actually thinks everyone wants to know what she's thinking. What I am is a "verbal processor" - I do my best thinking in words. I actually like feedback. And sometimes I just have to write to organize my thoughts.
You've probably noticed I'm don't exactly leap into the controversial stuff that keeps some blogs ticking. That's not because I don't have opinions, but rather because I'm not willing to stir up trouble here. Not in a one-sided conversation with only emoticons and italics to establish my tone. No, if I'm going to make people mad, I'd like to do it in person. If I'm going to try to change someone's mind, it's not going to be from my couch - unless they are on the other end, and we've got a bottle of wine between us.
So that brings me back to some hard questions...
Who reads my blog? Only my friends. People I can just call, and have an actual conversation with.
A blog is a very one-sided conversation.
If I want wider reader-ship (and I'm not altogether sure I do), then I have to have something to say that connects to something other than myself and my life. Or I have to have a new way to say the same old things. Popular bloggers I follow write about family and housework and the tedium of day-to-day life, sure. But they do it in an interesting and unique way.
I'm not that original.
Why do people read my blog? I'm not sure, but I think it might be because they like talking to me, or because they want to know more about what's going on with me than a facebook status-update can explain. I know it's not because I'm all that profound or entertaining. I also know I'm not concise. And I am hard to catch on the phone. So maybe this "open journal" does serve a purpose. Keeping me connected to the rest of my world. Or maybe I'm becoming something of a diva after all.
So... I'm going to cool it on the blog for a while. And work on building relationships in the real world. If you want to know what's up with me, call. Message me on facebook. Or e-mail. Send me a card. If you're in my time-zone, drop by for a visit.
Thanks for reading. I'll let you know when I'm back.
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. - Ecclesiastes 3:1
