Thoughts On Blogging

First, a pink popcorn update from this weekend. Definitely one of February's best assets.

A real-life-friend-who-blogs wrote a post on her blog a few weeks ago that really got me thinking. She pondered about time spent on the internet: reading blogs, posting, emailing; and if that energy might be better used to, say, write in a journal--like, one with paper. She asked her readers if they wonder, too.

Oh, yes, I wonder. Every day.

Every day I question myself and what I recognize is a little (okay, maybe not so little) addiction to reading blogs, writing Benbo posts, checking and writing email.

But at the end of this wondering and questioning I always come to an understanding with myself. That this blogging gig and its associated internet perusing, for now, serves a purpose. The positives outweigh the negatives.

+ It encourages me to capture little moments. Anais Nin said We write to taste life twice. Snippets of joy that might otherwise pass me by turn into a blog post about twilight walks or a delicious meal or another month of being Vivian's mom. And while I don't expect these little snippets to rock anyone else's world, it does me good to really notice them, and then write about them. Tasting these moments twice is a gift I give myself.

+ It gives me perspective. There's good in my life. Even though things are going differently than I ever thought they would. I know myself--I'm a big picture kind of girl. I'd likely look back on this first year of parenthood and say "It was full of joy and fear and sadness and learning." But within that, there are so many moments. Moments and details that I know I'd gloss over when remembering later. I want to be detail oriented when it comes to this sweet time that passes all too quickly. So, I do this blogging thing for Vivian, too. To one day share some sweet little details and big ideas about love and hope and faith in her young life.

+ It is creative. My favorite part of being a teacher was the creative stuff (though there's less and less of that in a lot of education...but that's another post, isn't it?). And now I need another outlet. I think being a parent is inherently creative, but it's good to have something creative waiting while she naps. Blogging is a forum for documenting my life by taking photos, writing, making connections between this thing and that thing.

+ It keeps me connected to people I care about. In all those months when we were hunkered down close to home with surgery looming, and even now, I can maintain connections to friends and family. It's amazing what reading a new comment on a post will do when I'm about to tear my hair out because Miss Viv won't eat (it's getting better though, FYI) or when I'm sick with worry--it reminds me that I'm not alone in this. That I have an incredible web of people who care and support and love. And that means everything. (So, thank you, dear Benbo readers.)

What do you think? Why do you blog? Or read blogs? What are your creative outlets?