Blogging

Recently someone ask me "What is a blog and why do you keep one?"
After getting past the initial shock that there could be anyone who doesn't know what a blog is, I gave them the standard simple answer. I blog because I enjoy it and I can. That's not really the answer.
Blogging is my connection to the world. It has connected me to some of the most amazing people in the world. One might even call it my virtual community. A community where I am a valued citizen. Where my opinion matters. Where my feelings are validated. It provides me with an outlet for my frustration, my joy and my sadness.
My political blog enables, nay encourages me to stay informed. I have access to multiple opinions on both sides of the fence. When an issue is one I embrace with passion and fire, I can state my feelings there with little worry or concern that I may offend someone. It is there that my intellect, and my strength of conviction is challenged. I don't have a large number of visitors but of those who visit, several are of much different opinions than I. We enjoy debating the issues. We respect each other's point of view while maintaining our own.

This blog is what I think of as my morning coffee crowd. We're friends who meet and chat over anything and everything. We talk about our families, our friends, ourselves. We work through our ups and downs (with a little help from our friends). Odds are we may never meet face to face. That doesn't make any of you any less important in my life. Everyday, I can't wait to get to blogging. I want to know what's happening with David, Brenda, Sally, Ellen, Joe (both Joe's), Mary Lou and all the rest. I happily spend hours getting caught up with each of you. What ever did I do before I found you here in the wonderful world of blogs?
I read somewhere that blogging is often akin to yelling in the forest . With so many blogs out there how can one hope that their tiny voice will be heard? Yet heard we are. Somehow, most of us manage to find a group of people who identify with us and who actually care about what we say and how we feel. It may be a large forest but there are small islands of trees where the flowers bloom, the sun shines, furry little animals and big hulking animals come together to share their lives. Of course there are rainy days, but we take care of each other. We provide a shelter from the storm. Our Critter Chick watches over us, much the way Mother Nature watches over those in her forest.
This is WHY I blog.