So, why do I blog?

I am getting the feeling I may wax a bit philosphic on this post. If you're not in the mood to read my potentially boring musings , feel free to stop now, skip it, and wait for some pictures to be uploaded from our Conference Weekend. You may have to be patient. This could be months, as the pictures of the weekend are on Kyle's camera and I have to get a special pass from the hall monitor in order to use it.

I have been thinking a lot about blogging, or better said, writing, and the culture I live in-- be it the LDS culture, the American middle-class culture, the SAHM culture, the business-owning culture....

I suppose the first of these thoughts came to fruition last Christmas when I sent out our family Christmas letter. I thought I would write a parody and dictate what a "perfectly" perfect year we had. I exaggerated Cade's accomplishments, my nonexestent talents, Kyle's booming business, and my perfect pregnancy with Savannah, and what a darling perfect child she was. On the flip side of the Christmas letter, I wrote a dose of our reality.

So often we get those Christmas cards dripping with perfection. The family photo is perfect, the children are excelling perfectly, all aspects in life are humming along perfectly...... those cards make you want to vomit. (I know you've read them). But on the flip side, perhaps there is another side of the story that we don't know about. And I guess that's where my thoughts have taken me over the last several months. I'm quite curious about the pyschology behind writing and blogging.

Why do I write? Why do I blog? Why do other people blog? What purpose are we fulfilling with our blogs? Or are we not quite sure of the "why" ---- we're just simply doing it because it's "the thing to do"? Or.....do we feel our blog is:

A Form of Journaling. "Form of" is the key, because I would not say a blog (unless totally private)is bonefied journal. Rarely do we ever write those things which are most sacred, if we know other's eyes are going to read them. However, I will be the first to say I completely count my posts on this blog as doing my family history. (I'm serious). So, while blogging is definitely an account of one's experiences, it may not be the most true to form journal. Because we can have feedback from others and others read what we write, it provides us with a source of motivation to continue writing.

A Dose of Self-worth. One may blog because it makes her feel better about her/himself. We may blog to fulfill a need to publish our accomplishments, be it potty training a toddler, landing a job, or cooking a meal. But if we publish a good day, a cute picture of the kids, a finished project does it mean we are insecure? If a considerable amount of time lapses between posts, does it mean we are going through a dark period? Do we have something to hide? Or does it mean we are too busy to make an account of our lives? There could be some of us who blog regularly to keep us sane, to help us see the sunshine in the shadows, because we are going through dark times......

Inexpensive Therapy. The therapy behind writing has truly intrigued me the last while. I myself have basked in the therapeutic catharsis of unloading emotionally my day in the written word. I have also been touched by the real and personal blogs of others who share their pain, their struggles, laughs and triumphs. I like to think I've kept my posts real, down to earth, and have recently re-committed myself to the "realness" in life that seems to have evaded much of the blogworld these days, hence the new title (you may not have noticed. It's okay) I don't pretend that my deepest, truest feelings, I save for my private journal, my husband, my mom, sisters, and close friends.

On an almost unrelated, but totally related, I have found myself laughing outloud at several posts on this blog. The witty-ness, originality (yet not, because we can all find so much of ourselves in her) and satirical nature of the blog has reminded me (and so many I am sure) to not take myself so seriously.

What can other's written word tell us?

Should we take the writing at face value or dig deeper because those writing may want us to reach out to them? Do they want to stay in hiding behind the smiling life? Are those struggling simply making the attempt to find joy and so they blog only about joys? Or are there some who are struggling and don't even know it? Denial perhaps? Does any of this even matter? Should we even care? Is the idea of hiding behind words creating an unnecessary paranoia that we are all creating a fantasy life out of our blogs?

I don't mean to obsess over the idea that everyone is harboring a struggle they want to shield from the world. There were many talks given in conference which addressed that many are struggling today, and there was also counsel given to reach out. What can be plainly seen in front of us, could also be an alternate reality that we may need to step into to help someone....

And so, why do I blog? Is it my alternate reality?

Well......I blog to help me find the funnies in the not-so-funny moments. I blog to get things out of my system and off my (nonexistent) chest. I blog to remind myself how blessed I am. I blog to keep me humble. I blog to document the cherished miracles in life that seems to be fleeting. I blog to vent. I blog to remember. I blog to appear better than I am. I blog to enjoy a writing assignment. I blog to keep my family and friends up-to-date on our lives. And for so many other reasons, I blog.

Why do you blog?