Ruminations on Writing This Blog

Writing this blog has opened up a whole new vista of experience for me.

I have never considered myself a writer.  Writing in the past was arduous, taxing and work.  At best, I was clumsy with a slightly weird cadence and choppy sentences.  Words out of place in the wrong sequence.  I always envied Yella and some of my friends who write well.  Their words flow with ease and grace.

But surprise, surprise!  Writing the blog is a real hoot!  And, from your feedback, many of you tell me you enjoy it and that I am actually good at it.  Go figure!

I have fun with it.  And, I try to be honest and authentic with a wry twist so that you get a true vicarious experience of the adventure.

In the beginning, it kept me from feeling so lonely, missing my friends.  The hardest part of the move for me, was leaving all the social connections at work and in the community.  The blog left me with the experience of being close to my old world.

It also gives me an opportunity to be funny...I hope it's funny anyway.  Humor is a big deal to me.  If I can provide a smile or laugh for you, I am thrilled.  

And possibly most important, writing the blog forces me into a more up beat perspective for all the challenges down here.  Trying to put a funny or quirky spin on life.  It takes the heat off the strong emotions that arise and they do arise!  The "meltdowns" that I have referred to are some of the most intense experiences that I have lived through.  It is easy to go off the deep end and rage about them.  

(Some of you are saying, "you call this upbeat?  All you do is bitch and whine!")

In the end, I have gotten a lot out of writing this blog so it has been valuable to me even if no one reads it.  

But the real thrill is in having readers...friends.

However, there are times when I don't get any comments or feedback for weeks.  This has caused me to doubt the value of the blog and question if it's worth the effort.  I know that leaving a comment on a Google blog can be a pain in the neck, and sometimes just impossible without an advanced degree in Nerd 101.  So, comments can be suppressed by the difficulty of placing them.

But WHALLA!  Bring on the Internet statistics.  I found out that Google offers free statistics on how many people visit the site each day.  And the statistics go on till the Nerds come home if you are into all that, which I'm not.

As it turns out, about 10 people visit the blog each day.  About 25% of you are new to the blog each week.  You spend about 1 minute and a half during each visit.

This really keeps my spirits up.  Feedback is the magic elixir of encouragement and acknowledgement.  The number of visitors is beyond my expectations.  I thought a few friends would stop in each week but many more of you have turned out.

So, thank you my friends.  

And, I consider all of you friends because I write the blog to a "friend".  I picture sitting down with one of you over excessive amounts of coffee, having a conversation.  And that is how I write it.

I think I will keep on doing it!