Why Blog?
Bill walked by when I was working on my first blog post, and asked what I was doing. When I told him that I was starting a blog, he sort of rolled his eyes. I could tell that he didn't have a clue about why I would want to blog. So, why blog? I guess I have several reasons.
To begin with, writing is often easier for me than speaking. The act of writing gives me time to organize my thoughts, so I can say what I really mean. Sometimes my innate shyness gets in the way. I feel like people don't really know me because I don't always speak my mind. One of my college professors once told the class that "a shy person is a selfish person"--words that could only be spoken by a true extrovert! Of course, I was too shy to tell him (and the entire class) what I really thought about his assessment. (It's just my opinion, but I think that extroverts are sometimes selfish when they won't let us shy people get a word in edgewise!) In my experience, I've noticed that shy people are motivated more by fear than by selfishness; fear of being noticed or even rejected, fear of offending someone or hurting their feelings, fear of making a mistake, fear of being misunderstood, fear of starting an argument, fear of stuttering or using improper English. Sometimes shy people simply don't want to share personal information with people they don't know. As for me, I'm not nearly as shy as I used to be; people I know well will tell you that I'm usually not afraid to speak my mind about important things!
As my children and nieces and nephews get older, I want to share my thoughts with them, even if I don't see them often. So, I am writing this blog for you: Erin, Meagan, Victoria, Levi, Katie, Melody, Wes, Casey, Lindsey, Shana. In the interest of good communication, I hope that my parents, siblings, in-laws, aunts, uncles and cousins, and friends, old and new, will read my blog, too, and make comments. As I write, I promise to tell the truth as I see it, and I promise not to preach (much).
To begin with, writing is often easier for me than speaking. The act of writing gives me time to organize my thoughts, so I can say what I really mean. Sometimes my innate shyness gets in the way. I feel like people don't really know me because I don't always speak my mind. One of my college professors once told the class that "a shy person is a selfish person"--words that could only be spoken by a true extrovert! Of course, I was too shy to tell him (and the entire class) what I really thought about his assessment. (It's just my opinion, but I think that extroverts are sometimes selfish when they won't let us shy people get a word in edgewise!) In my experience, I've noticed that shy people are motivated more by fear than by selfishness; fear of being noticed or even rejected, fear of offending someone or hurting their feelings, fear of making a mistake, fear of being misunderstood, fear of starting an argument, fear of stuttering or using improper English. Sometimes shy people simply don't want to share personal information with people they don't know. As for me, I'm not nearly as shy as I used to be; people I know well will tell you that I'm usually not afraid to speak my mind about important things!
As my children and nieces and nephews get older, I want to share my thoughts with them, even if I don't see them often. So, I am writing this blog for you: Erin, Meagan, Victoria, Levi, Katie, Melody, Wes, Casey, Lindsey, Shana. In the interest of good communication, I hope that my parents, siblings, in-laws, aunts, uncles and cousins, and friends, old and new, will read my blog, too, and make comments. As I write, I promise to tell the truth as I see it, and I promise not to preach (much).
Looking forward to following your thoughts along life's journey, Janet. Thanks for being the quiet influence you are! I promise to let you get a word in edgewise along the way. :-)
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