My Life on a Plate

The Joys of Blogging

I think I'll remember 2005 as the year of the blog. Sorry, I know we still aren't very fond of the word but it has become such an important part of my life, I'll even forgive the person who came up with that name for it.

When I first started on this journey it was as a tentative experiment; nowhere in the depths of my imagination could I have envisaged the things that have come about from simply starting a blog.

I used to feel obligated to make a daily entry, or try to be witty or thought-provoking. I don't know why as I doubt anyone read my entries back then. There was a phase of wanting to turn every day blue, but now I take it as it comes. Some days I feel I have something to express, others I prefer to just sit back and read other people's entries. There is no pressure or need to be anything but myself any longer and I think that's good progress.

Okay, my writing, reviewing, competition entries and general reading on the site may have suffered but the rewards far outweigh the disadvantages. So, what have I gained from this experience over the year?

1. I find expressing my feelings, be they positive or negative, a soul-restoring experience. Here is a place to vent, complain, compliment, express joy or just ramble. That in itself is cleansing, calming and great therapy. To receive comments from friends, whether they sympathise or disagree, is the icing on the cake.

2. The discipline of keeping up the blog is an enjoyable way to keep writing skills fine-tuned. It may not require much imagination or planning, but the habit of organising thoughts and ideas is a good one and I do try, even in here, to write to the best of my ability.

3. Here is a book full of events, conversations, thoughts and emotions which may otherwise have been long forgotten. The achievement of producing something so huge over a shortish period of time is something all regular bloggers should be proud of. I suspect if I look back over my 257 entries there will be much fodder in here for fiction writing. One day I might find the time to do that!

4. Being involved in blogging is a humbling experience. So many times I have felt my mood alter and my own situation come into perspective by reading about the lives and troubles of others. There are some very brave people on this site and many who give and smile in the face of adversity. I feel I have become a more well-rounded (yes, literally too) and appreciative person through involving myself in other blogs.

5. And that leads me to the last but most important thing about blogging. I've always had friends on this site; people whose writing I enjoy and admire. But basically they were coloured cases without faces. Through blogging I feel I have made REAL friends, people I've come to care for and about. I cry at their losses and disappointments, I laugh at their colourful descriptions and witty anecdotes and I empathise with their frustrations and thwarted ambitions. I may not always agree with them, but friends can allow for differences in opinion and values. Oh yes, I am truly blessed to have been guided by some unknown force into this wonderful world of blogging and and and I WUB you all.

I have to say how amazed I am too by the effect my obsession with the number FIVE has had on many people. Almost daily I read a list of five in someone's blog and it always brings a smile to be remembered this way. Does this mean I'm famous? lol I've just read last week's Spiritual Newsletter. Even kittiara has a list of five in there. She's also promoted and recommended blogging as part of her subject and highlighted some of her favourite blogs. David McClain is of the opinion there should be a weekly Blogging Newsletter and I whole-heartedly agree. There are many members keeping blogs now and it's become important to a lot of us. I suggest we press for a lighthearted Newsletter covering blog issues, ideas and directing us all towards other like-minded bloggers. What do you think?