Why Blog?

I’ve been keeping a journal and writing things down since I learned to write. So, blogging is mainly different because I won’t be searching for a place to hide it from my brother like I did when I was a teenager. (I resorted to writing in code until my grandmother bought me a little “safe” I could padlock.)

Writing helps me work through things, organize my thoughts, and get things off my chest without paying a therapist or boring my friends and family.
I have a number of old journals that live in a box in our storage shed. These are the ones from 1992 to 1996 – a particularly difficult time in my life. I occasionally decide to get rid of them, but can’t bring myself to do it just yet.

Not sure what one should do with old journals. They weren’t meant to be shared with anyone. I probably wouldn’t mind if a stranger read them. (Wonder what they would fetch on eBay?)

After 1996 I decided to journal on computer. It seemed more private and the files don’t require additional storage space. I also like the ability to take my time…edit…rewrite…and hit the delete key. (If only I could do that with the spoken word!)

However, computers and even the backup medium de jour aren’t as permanent as paper journal. There is also something special about a new notebook or journal that I can hold in my hands.

Blogs are an interesting twist on the idea of journaling. I know they can be designated as private, but most (?) are open to the public. I hear some bloggers bare their souls for all to read, but in the past, I haven’t wanted anyone to read what I write – especially my journals.

Making a blog public (even though it is a needle in a proverbial haystack) has made me focus on being more positive, readable, and interesting. (It might not seem like it, but trust me – it is more interesting.) So the overall content is somewhat different. I still haven’t told any family members or friends about this, although Jungle did mention it to one person.

The category and tag features offered by blogging platforms is the feature that got me interested sometime last year. Trying to find journal entries on a specific topic in the stack of notebooks pictured above, is extremely time consuming.

Still, I procrastinated for months because I didn’t have a plan or direction in mind. Jungle kept encouraging me to take the plunge. So one day I just decided to start.

Even though I haven’t posted every day, it hasn’t been as a result of blogger’s block . Every morning I “write” one or more posts in my mind. I just don’t get around to typing them out.

As I become more comfortable with the process, and my adoring fans clamor for more – insert laugh track here – I suppose I will become more consistent. (There’s that word again.)