The motivation behind this post is based on a
conversation I had on Friday. A really good friend from 2006-2008 also has a blog. She asked if I still read her posts? When
I replied, “Yes,” she said I never commented anymore, so she was unsure. I explained I had little to comment on as
she is now married, has two kids, and runs about as little as I do. We no longer have as much in common, but
I like to stay up-to-date. She said
she posts much less now with Facebook, which I quit using last July.
I thought of my own blog.
I started this blog in 2007 with three posts that year. Tonight would be the 250th post! That means I average one post every two
weeks. I thought I had posted more
frequently, then realized that, between 2011 and 2013, I had 33 posts
or once every 5 weeks. I had two
surgeries and a significant bicycle crash, with a concussion, in 2011. My high post years were 73 in 2008 and 62 in 2009.
So, in this time of self-indulging thought, I looked back at what
I wrote two years ago when I questioned, “Why continue with this bog.” I wrote:
- “Bloggers have scant opportunity to collect our thoughts, to wait until events have settled and a clear pattern emerges. We write about ourselves at a relatively fixed point in this constant interaction with the ideas and facts of the exterior world. In this sense, the historical form closest to blogs is the diary. But with this difference, a diary is almost always a private matter. Its raw honesty, dedication to marking life as it happens, and remembering life as it was make it a terrestrial log. A few diaries are meant to be read by others, just as correspondence could be—but usually posthumously or as a way to compile facts for a more considered autobiographical rendering. But a blog, unlike a diary, is instantly public. It transforms this most personal and retrospective form into a painfully public and immediate one. It combines the confessional genre with the log form and exposes the author in a manner no author has ever been exposed.”
That being said, I do not blog for
others. If they share my ride,
that is a nice byproduct of documenting my thoughts, including many fears and a few joys. I may be very depressed in the writing or have some excitement. Through this writing, I become my own Psychologist. I sort out my
complex and frustrating life. It
helps make my crazy seem a little normal. It gives me purpose and provides a positive emotional feeling. So, unlike a diary, I find the accountability and the internal mental health of knowing it public is medicine I could not purchase. I will continue past 250 posts; they may become more interesting and allow others to share the ride.
One great thought: Winter is gone! Riding my bike to work will become regular, provided I stay healthy. There are so many benefits beyond financial.
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