I'm a BLOGGER!

My best friend and I were g-chatting the other day as we sometimes do to keep in touch. For those of you who don’t know—g-chat is instant messaging through Gmail. So, we’re chatting about blogging. She’s telling me she just can’t get into it (she’s been trying for a while)—you don’t have to, I respond. She says she can’t get into this journaling, soul searching, growth thing. I understand why she thinks that because I think that’s what a lot of people do when they blog…I sometimes do, but mostly I don’t. I do it to have an open forum—to write my stories and to keep my friends updated about what’s going on in my life. Sure, there’s some thoughtful stuff, some pathetic pity-party stuff, but mostly I try to write funny, snarky, upbeat stuff.

Plus, I love the community of friends that my little bubble in the blogosphere has created! I know that GB may not make it by every day, but she back-reads as many as she missed and comments on them all! E will either affirm my choices or give me a virtual slap across the face to get me back on track and Kellan always leaves a comment that makes me smile. Sara Jane typically feels my pain as far as life as a single 20-something goes, and my new reader Mary encourages my desire to have a little fun! Jamie and I share a name, but have a ton more in common. And these are just the people that comment regularly! I look forward to staying in contact with these people, and I’ve never met a single one of them, and they’re all scattered across the United States. It’s fun to find people and get a glimpse into their lives. To form friendships over shared stories just as if you were gossiping with your girls—this is that, too…only in a completely different form!

I also love to keep my friends in the loop—to tell our stories and make them laugh over how I might have altered the details or added a dramatic flair here or there—or even tell the honest truth about a story that was funny enough at the time that it doesn’t need any edits! I love when Beth reads and leaves a smart ass comment for me and I always love to read my Autumn’s rebuttals to the latest tale I’ve told about her. On the few occasions when Sara comments, they’re typically funny! Kara rarely comments, but she reads every day--and when I need the support of a good friend, or relationship advice, she's usually my first call. Lauren just went back through and read the entire thing since she last read and commented on every one—that’s awesome to me! I love me some comments! I’d totally be a comment whore if that was possible—is it?

I blog because I love to write. I blog because it’s my little outlet—my corner of the universe. Somedays I consider it an art—a crafting of words that I want to get better and better at. I blog because I love it! Why do YOU blog? And if you don't blog--what makes you read?