I've long said that I blog for me, so that I can look back on times of my life, so that I can chalkboard through my thoughts and figure out how I feel about things. I've always wanted to keep a journal, and have started many of them over the years, but they never lasted more than a week and a couple pages of chickenscratch. The blog is now over 500 posts and has lasted over 2 and a half years.
It has been mostly good, methinks. At the very least, I have something to look back on. I have an archive of my thoughts from the hospital when The Tobe was born and his first few years of life. I have posts about why we're city people. I have stories documenting important life experiences such as my awakening to racism and the brokenness of our neighbors. I have all kinds of stories written down during the great housing search of 2007 and remodel of 961 Olive Avenue.
I'm again considering shutting the ol' blog down for good. Lately, all this thing seems to do is get me in trouble. I never intended the blog to become something I stress about. It's purpose was to be reflective and therapeutic...
...and yet this site has gotten me in trouble with family and friends. It's led me into political discussions that I know I should just stay away from. And what good is a personal journal if I find myself biting my tongue from saying what I really mean? If I need to make sure I don't say anything about work, and avoid talking about this or that specific topic that is dominating my thought life, why bother? What good is a blog if I post something and feel the need to disable comments because I don't care to get responses?
Plus, my blogging life began as some of my best friends were moving away. The blog was going to be a way to keep in touch with people. Well, I can't honestly say I think the blog has helped keep in contact with those folks.
The main reason I haven't already shut it down is because I doubt I'd continue to write. And I don't want to quit writing. If I trusted myself to pull out a notebook a few times per week (or even journal in Word), this thing would've been blowed up years ago. We'll see.
I know all of you faithful readers (Hi, Mom!) will be waiting with baited breath.
5 comments:
I am a faithful reader. Believe it or not I find it helpful sometimes. Well and when I'm bored at work.
I for one, truly wish you wouldn’t stop blogging. I love your writing style for one. You make me
laugh. You make me ponder what your thoughts are saying. Your insight on any range of
subjects is spacious and at times ingenious. (Now don’t go gettin’ a big head) I’d miss your
Tobe stories like crazy. Your passion and love for family, community, music, church, the Reds,
the pimpmobile, Skyline.......am I going down hill here??....Anyway, you put it all on the line in
your blog Scott, and in this hypersensitive world we live in, it takes some backbone, some
courage to put it out there for some of us admires to appreciate.....albeit damned if you step on some toes,.. I say Blog on my man....your freakin’ good at it,.. Real good.!
Dan
Blogging is good for you. I am huge advocate of "getting it out". Blogging seems to do that for many people. If you decide to go private that is one thing but to stop is another. I'm just selective with my entries. Private me only, private friends only or public.
People don't have an inalienable right to your blog but it can open up opportunities you would not otherwise have.
i think you should keep on blogging. i enjoy keeping up with you. i'd much rather hear about it from your voice, but i'll take your blog over nothing.
I enjoy keeping up with you guys via your blog. And I find your thoughts thought-provoking! And for my job, I read a lot of stuff all day long because I have to. So take this as a sincere compliment! :)
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