One year ago today I took my first shaky step into the world of blogging with this short little piece. Looking back at it with a year’s perspective, I can’t honestly say that I have kept up my promise – I suppose I can only keep trying on that score. Over the year I have managed about 116 entries, which averages out to about 3 a day when you do the (admittedly shaky) math. I’m happy that it hasn’t died on it’s arse, as apparently many blogs do after their first few months, but I’m conscious that I could have done better and tried to write more. Ah well, all things to do as I try to shepherd the egg to that second cake with two candles on it.
One curious note that I’ve been meaning to share for a while now is that I haven’t shared the existence of this blog with anyone I know: no friends, no colleagues, no family, not even the woman I’m going to marry know about this. Or at least if they do, they aren’t letting on. What has stopped me from telling them about it? I’ll flesh this out a little more in a day or so, but it’s a question that is starting to weigh on me more and more. After all it’s hardly fair: I write about things that happen to me, things that sometimes feature people from my life, and share it with the internet: and yet I won’t tell those same people that I’m doing so…ah well. Another ramble for another time.
One thing that blogging has taught me in the last year is to appreciate the small moments in life, and not allow my focus to be drawn to things I think are important (and if you know me from my writings, you can put the word “work” in there on your own) but really aren’t. Blogging allows us to peek over the shoulders of people from all over the world, and experience a moment in their lives through their eyes. In that regard, browsing through blogs is an awesome experience, but I’ve learned that it doesn’t always have to be about huge things. I’ve read about a mother falling in love with her daughter all over again when she smiles or shouts for Elmo on the TV. I’ve read about people going to the movies. Reminiscing about childhood. Cooking their first turkey dinner. Laughing at a silly joke. Small, unguarded, vulnerable, precious moments shared with us all, and I’d like to think I’m now paying more attention to those same moments in my own life instead of always worrying about what’s coming.
One moment is sometimes all it takes. Keep reading. I’ll have more for you.
February 24th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
That was a nice look back. You keep writing, I’ll keep reading. (Though, I gotta say, 116 posts is one post every three days, not three a day. Unless that was a joke, in which case, um, nevermind.) I sometimes wish I hadn’t shared my blog URL with friends and family. Would I feel free to talk about things that I tend to hold back about now? Probably.
February 24th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
Egg – you really should tell your bride-to-be. You don’t want this to become one of those “you’ve been hiding what from me?!?” moments after you’re married. I don’t recall anything here that she would find untoward, and it will give her another insight into you.
February 27th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
Ditto on the telling the fiancée thing. I would choose a specific post that speaks about her positively, maybe the whole getting engaged by a stargate one, to show her first. If she finds out about the site on her own even if you didn’t write anything bad about her, she’s not going to go through 116 posts to find out. Not showing her at first is understandable; I have people in my life that didn’t find out for a while. My parents only found out when the widow of my music teacher sent me a thank you note for what I wrote about him. I was stunned. They questioned me when I got home, and asked me what a blog was. So I had to show them and, fortunately, they were impressed and wondered why I didn’t share it. As for my teacher’s wife, her daughter had googled his name and found my blog, and though I was anonymous my description of my experience with him made it clear to her that there could be only one student with those specific details.
Anyway, HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY! I’m sorry I didn’t see this sooner. I came here this morning on the off chance it didn’t say “Hug Me Jean-Luc” and I find this anniversary post. Keep up that “three a day” pace in your second year and we’ll keep coming back for more. ;)
February 27th, 2006 at 11:55 pm
Andrew, you got me! :-) Much as I would like to put it down as a clever joke (or go back and edit the post) you got me. Explains why I went for English in university and not maths, huh? :-) Glad you enjoy the egg though, and enjoy reading through year 2! :-D