sanity savers (part 2)

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm going to include in this entry the benefits of blogging for me personally; I don't know why, other than this was in my head last night, and I can't not finish the thought!! :)

One big factor is that blogging makes me feel connected with the 'outside world'. Sometimes I just need a laugh, a different perspective, or just simply a reminder that there exist other people who are either going through the same things I am OR who are TOTALLY different than me, and that there are things in life beyond teaching, training, correcting, cleaning up after and cooking for children!! The blogs I read are very diverse in nature. Some are other 'mom-blogs' and some are ministry blogs. Some come from the same mindsets and views that I hold, others are vastly different. I like reading things (be it blogs, articles or books) that approach topics from a different angle than I might naturally lean toward. I think it's healthy to hear differing viewpoints.

As I've often said, blogging helps me process. It gets things out of my head, and helps me to settle my thoughts.

It also sort of serves as a journal/baby book/family newsletter all in one. My kids love hearing the posts about them and seeing me load their pictures for people to see. It helps me record and share the memorable things they've done or said (though I don't know how secure to feel in the fact that it might not disappear into cyber-space, unlike a good, old-fashioned, handwritten diary!)

And my final reason...I love words. I love reading them, saying them, spelling them, putting them together, and using them to express myself. I have come to realize this can be a frustrating trait in me for some people. I didn't know. (That is, apparently people can get frustrated with my ability to express myself succinctly, and my apparent expectation of them to do the same, without stopping to realize that not everyone shares my fondness for language). I'm trying to work on that. However, I have always loved words; sometimes as people are talking I will actually be spelling words in my head that they are saying. Or I imagine typing them - some words are just really fun to type. So blogging is the perfect outlet for me. I get to use words creatively, spell them, type them AND if someone doesn't want to hear what I have to say, they can choose not to listen to me!! It's a win-win for everyone! ;o)

"I think, therefore I blog."
~J. Clemmer

(I think that's an original I just came up with!!)