Why do I blog?

Recently I've had a handful of people say things to me like this,

"If I had that much time I'd be able to blog too."

 "You need to find something to do."

 "Why would other people care to read about someone else's kids, what other moms are struggling with, or how to do something silly to make your house look nice?"  

And here's the thing......as humans we're hard-wired to compare ourselves, feel inadequate, and have an insatiable need to make ourselves feel better about our own whatever's by making someone else feel bad...even if it's just a little bad.  And it's so easy to turn what someone else feels passionate about and enjoys doing into something trivial, wasteful, and insignificant.  I've done it I'm sure, so I know.  And sure, we might do it without even realizing we're doing it because it's so ingrained in us as humans.  

I guess I assume there are a number of reasons to do that; we wish we had thought of the idea first, we wish we had the talent to do whatever said person is doing, we wish we had the same connections as someone else to be able to make something work, we wish something about our lives was different so we could do something else.  It really goes on and on.  But--those comments--are not so passive aggressive.  They're really just rude and in many cases ungrateful.  How many times have you made something for someone and their response instead of "Thanks!  That's so cool," is "Oh my word--I can't believe you made that! I wish I had the time to do stuff like this."

Translation:  The way that I spend my time is more significant than the way you spend yours.  Your life is so easy that you have time to fritter away on things like this.  

Harsh translation?  I don't know.  Not really.  I really believe comments like, "I wish I had the time to do that," are always wrong.  Everyone has 24 hours in their day.  Some people spend a lot of hours at the gym, some people clean their houses incessantly, some people have five kids, some people shop around the clock, some people watch a lot of TV, some people are work-a-holics because they love their job, some people love to cook so that's what they do, some people garden during all seasons, and some people might be getting a second degree.  Whatever they're doing, whatever you're doing it's how we choose to spend the hours we've been given and it's different for everyone and it doesn't make it wrong or less important than yours.  

I blog because I love to write.  I've always loved to write.  I spent hours in my bedroom as a kid and teenager writing stories.  It was my release--like talking on the phone and listening to music was for other kids.  To prove it maybe I'll post portions of my Civil War romance novel, my ballet drama, or my WWII concentration camp tragedy.  I was the freak in college who loved professors who gave blue book exams because I could write my way into an A any day.  I really missed writing while I was teaching middle school full time--it's just not a place to write creatively on a frequent basis.  I mean sure, little bouts here and there, but not like blogging.  

I really started blogging seriously while my husband and I were going through the adoption process.  It was a way to let family and friends know what was going on and how things were progressing, and a way to share with others who might one day work through the adoption process what it's like.  There is so little "real" information out there for people, including myself, that I hoped that it might help someone one day--if even a little.

It brought back all of those writing cravings that I'd forgotten I had and made me want to do it more and more and more.  And the other reason blogging has been good for my soul is that it helps me focus on what is important in my life and what isn't and the millions of things I have to be thankful for even when I'm having a grumpy day.

And let's be honest--we've all learned something from some blog that we've read at sometime; whether deep and profound or something as simple as a great DIY or a potty training trick.  Blogging lets you in on real-time advice by people engaging in whatever activity you're trying to learn about in that moment.

It's a good thing.  It's one of my things.  And I plan on doing it for awhile.