Why Blog?

Ah... The inevitable question... This came from an unlikely source - one of my best friends. I assumed it would have come from a family member but surprisingly, and gratefully - no, they have been incredibly supportive. Not to say that the question wasn't supportive - and frankly, I have asked myself this more than once. Why?

Possibly because I can't keep up with my growing communication list, having friends and family around the world plus the reality of living in two places?

Or is it that my compulsive need to "share" is stifled by being transient at the moment. Not having immediate access - due to time zone restrictions, to those familiar friends who act as sounding boards to my daily thoughts, insights, successes, failures and yes - rants?

Or is it that I am presently without a partner, a confidant and I am using this medium as a surrogate pillow-talker? That said, with over 300 posts in draft - I have yet to open myself completely in this public forum. I have been holding off making the decision to show the world how truly vulnerable I can be, which I believe is not a bad thing. I think it's healthy to fear the oh so easy "over-share" that has bitten bloggers of the past in the ass! i.e. Emily Gould

Or is it that I can no longer contain the overwhelming amount of information that is passed my way each day and I figure that if I pass it down the chain like a baton, all the while recording it's details that it won't get lost in a sea of my own thoughts.

Or did I just need a place to Spew? Opening a dialogue about issues with family, friends, friends of friends, co-workers, acquaintances and the scariest of all - the few souls that find their way here who carry the scary label of "strangers".

Or... as written by Emily Gould in an article for NY Times Magazine 05/25/08:

I think most people who maintain blogs are doing it for some of the same reasons I do: they like the idea that there’s a place where a record of their existence is kept — a house with an always-open door where people who are looking for you can check on you, compare notes with you and tell you what they think of you. Sometimes that house is messy, sometimes horrifyingly so. In real life, we wouldn’t invite any passing stranger into these situations, but the remove of the Internet makes it seem O.K.

Or simply put, this act is helping me get over the fear of letting poeple read my writing while this commitment allows me to build the muscle of completion.

Actually, it's all of the above... Stay tuned. P.
.