why blog??

I guess the short answer is because I can no longer not blog. If that works for you, stop reading now. If you need to know more, forge ahead -- !

For years friends have recommended - sometimes rather forcefully - that I should blog. I occasionally create ponderous, quirky email messages and I guess they've been on the receiving end of one of them. They'd tell me that they had a great laugh, or at least were entertained enough to mention the receiving of my email, then whack me gently across my arm and exclaim 'you should blog...!'

I read blogs. I find less time now to read them, but I still read 'em. And whenever someone would bruise me with a declaration that I should too I would think of dooce or suburban bliss or mighty girl and feel very very daunted.

I have always wanted to write, and I had entertained the idea of becoming a journalist when I was young. But as I got older, I found it really difficult to write a good essay for school. So I figured that if I couldn't write essays, I should shelve my writing hopes.

Three years ago my son was diagnosed with a learning disability. When the psychologist was describing to my husband and I just what he had difficulty doing I sat there nodding along, all the while thinking "what's so different about that?? doesn't everyone have those kind of difficulties..?" It was all very very familiar. I finally voiced that thought and had two heads swing around at me. 'hmmm,' I thought... 'I guess we know where he gets it from, huh? '

So I tried blogging a couple of months ago, and lo and behold I really liked it. It had a specific theme - our family trip - and I missed it once we returned home and I no longer needed to update friends and family as to what we were seeing.

"Why another blog?" could also be the title for this post. Is there really a need for more navel gazing? I fit very neatly into the Mommy Blogger archetype, and godonlyknows there are more than enough of those. (and some damn fine ones too!) My kids are old enough that I don't need to reach out and reassure myself that much anymore. Mind you, they aren't teens yet, so that may change...

No, this is for me. I just feel the creative need to jot things down and send them off into the Void. I don't know what will become of the thoughts, untidy little things that they are.