It’s hard to imagine that it has been two years since I started keeping track of my daily life via this blog. It seems like so much, and at the same time so little, has happened over the past two years. But I can just scroll through the archives and see for sure. I truly enjoy the things my blog has brought into my life. I am able to click through my entries and know exactly what I was feeling on a particular day, remember all the things that were happening in my life, and witness how the world around me is changing.
I started writing in a diary/journal when in I was in 3rd grade. My teacher, Mr. Bear, had all of his students write every day in a journal. We would hand them in and he would write back either commenting on the entry or answering any questions we might have had. (You could say, he was my first loyal commenter!) I am sure it was some sort of writing exercise, but it taught me to reflect on my life and my thoughts. Needless to say, after 3rd grade I continued with my own personal journal and carried on all throughout high school. And I still have every single journal today. I love flipping through the dog-earred pages and reflecting on who I used to be.
But I have to admit, the Internet has evolved journaling in a way I never thought possible. Rather than having to flip through endless pages of hand-written entries, looking for one particular thing, I now have Google! With a couple clicks, and a well-formatted search string, I can find a specific post in a matter of second. And sure, I still have the option of a leisurely stroll down memory lane, should the need arise.
I remember when I discovered blogging. A little over two years ago, when Heather was pregnant with Lindsay, she and I were trying to look up some pregnancy related thing and stumbled across Dooce. Needless to say, I quickly become addicted and have since read all the archived entries. But it inspired Heather and I. We both begged our respective husbands to create our own blogs. For Heather, it allowed her to share her newborn daughter and the chaos and blessings that brought into her life with those of us separated from them by distance. For me, it was also a way to share things with family and friends afar. But it also brought an unexpected closeness with local friends. By allowing them access into our daily lives, rather than weekly or even monthly visits, we no longer have the awkward “So what have you been doing?” “Oh nothing” conversations. We now dig a little deeper: “So have you worked out the dilemma you were having the other day?” or “I cannot believe I missed that party. It sounded like so much fun!”
But I would be lying if I said it was all positives. The danger of exposing your thoughts and feelings is sometimes they can offend or hurt others. I have been stung on several occasions by comments made on my entries. Things said in humor can be misconstrued or taken out of context in the mind of another reader. This has forced me to often censor my writing. I don’t necessarily share my inner thoughts and personal reflections in fear that someone out there may disagree or even diminish my feelings.
For my husband, Simeon he sometimes forgets that I publish the daily happenings in our lives and people in his “virtual circle of friends” can access it as well. On more than one occasion he will be IMing with someone on the other side of the country and they will ask him if we finally finished the work on our fence or congratulate us on planning to start a family. Often caught off-guard, he quickly recovers by remembering that I must have blogged about it.
So thanks to all of you who read, those of you who comment, and those of you who keep my husband on his toes! I don’t think it would be as easy to keep coming back here if it were not for all of you. Here’s to another great (and hopefully exciting!) year.
