Why Blog?

I was thinking about the reasons that I do this so often, maybe not every day but as often as I can fit it into the rest of my life. It has become kind of an addiction of sorts: both blogging and reading other people’s blogs. Few of the latter keep my interest enough to read them every day (or every few days) but some do. Those ones are really interesting and erudite authors, either funny or thought-provoking or both, and they must have fibre content. That’s why I read other people’s blogs but why do I write one myself? Because I can! I can keep track of my current and finished projects. I can express my feelings and frustrations. I can document my successes and analyze my failures. I can post pictures that please me. I can send my URL to family and friends who want to know what I’ve been up to lately. But it’s not really about readership. I’m writing for me even though sometimes my style creeps over into instructive rather than illustrative. Not that I don’t like to have readers! Of course I do! But that’s not the top reason why I blog.

A side effect of blogging is that it lets me…no, forces me to think things through in a linear way. It also gives me a chance to improve my writing style and expression. Not that every post is a gem! (Or maybe none of them are?) But just writing itself is beneficial in learning how to get my thoughts in a tangible and legible form. Kind of like artists who draw or paint every day in order to progress and develop. Yet it has to be enjoyable too or I wouldn’t keep it up. Blogging is a strange pleasure for me.

I’m sure there are better ways to blog than using Blogger, yet it’s free and it gives me a simple way to work without having to learn a whole lot of complicated technological programming things. Though I have learned how to tweak my template in HTML, so it’s not like I haven’t learned something new in spite of myself. I would like to get to the point where I can add more embellishments and features but maybe that’s not really important. On Blogger! On Vixen! Oh! Sorry, got Xmas-ed there for a moment.

Speaking of the X (or C) word — I’ve got a few things to do (bake a dessert, buy some veggies, make some gift cards) but I’m almost ready. Well as ready as a Christmas-Impaired Scrooge-ette can get, that is! Things really start for me tonight at Winter Solstice. Too bad I’ll be teaching (because I have to) but I really would have loved to [A] go to DD and C&C’s (that’s tomorrow instead) or [B] go to our local Lantern Parade with our last-year's lanterns. Oh well, I’ll try to organize things a bit better for next year. Maybe. I do have my socks (2 pairs) ready for the class demonstrations tonight. Toes. Kitchener. Yikes.

I guess I need a photo in this post so here’s another one from those halcyon days of 30 years ago: the Ninja (aka my dear son, who really is a ninja now) just starting to walk at age 13 months. This is what his own daughter should be doing but she’s still being cautious. She still wants to hold onto your hand while she walks. Naturally she will let go eventually. When she’s darn good and ready and not one minute before!