I believe it is the cardinal sin of blogging, but I am not an experienced enough blogger to really know the rules, nor am I Catholic.
I suppose the question for me is not really why do we blog so much as why do we share?
Blogging is just another way to put out there those thoughts that spin around in my head all day and DO. NOT. STOP. Much like my talking (which you can find out more about here).
We all have a way of sharing that is most comfortable or convenient for us.
Some chat over coffee with a friend or family member, some email, some write letters to various customer service centres (to compliment or complain), some keep a journal or a diary, some have husbands who listen and sometimes even speak back, some talk with colleagues and in "the olden days" we wrote letters, put them in envelopes, put a stamp on the envelope with an address and popped them in a "letter box". (See image below for those who are unfamiliar).
And of course, there is the telephone to enable you to speak with whomever you so desire anywhere in the world. We also have Skype and many other VOIP choices these days and well, the iDevices, we now have Face Time!!! What an irony?
Before we had all these devices, that was all we had ... face time, REAL FACE TIME!
While this photo is not exactly indicative of a Letter Box in Australia, I found it a good opportunity to show you all what a Telephone Booth was too! But I digress ...
As humans, we need other humans. It is really that simple.
A while ago now, I was given a list of "Characteristics of a Healthy Relationship". In the past I have chosen the wrong people to be a part of my life, and while they have moved on or I have, I am always concerned I will make the same mistakes over again, so I often refer to my list (below for those who may be interested), but one of the Characteristics on the list is:
"You can talk comfortably with each other and you feel listened to".
If you are here reading this, you will know that I am a single parent and my youngest son LJ has Down syndrome. What you may not know is that I have no source of support. I have no formal respite package, I have no extended family and, as we moved away from the place that we had lived for 15 years only 1 year ago, I have no local networks, so that does not leave many opportunities to get out and have a chat.
When my kids are home, I have no time for anyone else or when I do, it is too late at night to be phoning people for a bit of a chin wag.
I often have people comment on how late I have sent emails! Oh well ... I still ponder why people check that on an email? They ponder I suppose why I blog .. but I do.
So, I blog and I will keep on blogging. You may think this a little odd, but I do feel comfortable and I do feel listened to. I receive comments on my blog, and when I post my blog notice on Twitter or Facebook, I often get comments there too or ever a "like". They are responses, they are interactions and they are my company and my conversations.
Another Characteristic on my list is this:
"You are growing and the relationship is growing".
This, to me, is the most important thing, which I do believe we can do via a blog.
In fact, if I am not doing this, then I am not sure my sharing is what it should be?
My hope for me, my blog and my blog readers is that we can all learn something new everyday, and often, the best way to really learn, is from a different perspective.
Here is my list of Characteristics of a Healthy Relationship. I hope you have these in your lives.
- You feel respected as a person
- Your physical, emotional and spiritual needs are met
- You are not afraid to be yourself
- Trust, trust, trust is everywhere
- There is a sense of humour and play
- Love is a verb not a noun
- You feel good about yourself
- You can affirm and support each other
- You are appreciated and not taken for granted
- You want to spend time together
- You are growing and the relationship is growing
- You like the other person and you feel liked by the other person
- Privacy is respected
- You can talk comfortably with each other and you feel listened to.
My Happy Ending: Since I started blogging, I have found a whole new community online that I never knew existed. It is full of people who have opinions and are happy to share them, intelligent people, interesting people, people who have experienced some incredible things and most importantly, people I can learn from.
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever."
Mahatma Ghandi
