Connected

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what it is about blogging that appeals to me so much. I've been bloging for probably 4 years now, and have no plans to stop. What is it about blogging that I love so much?

I love the friendships I make on here without obligation. I visit you, you visit me... if we get really close we might e-mail or chat online... but you are pretty low-maintenance friendships. If I feel overwhelmed by your needs, I press a button and you disappear, and I come back when I'm stronger. You can't demand more of me than I can give... you can't drain me. I can set boundaries SO much easier with people who are not here physically to give me sad looks! lol

Sometimes I look at that and think "man, i'm such a coward... hiding behind a computer screen with surface relationships, so no one can hurt me." When you think about it though, the internet has been a TREMENDOUS catalyst in my personal growth. A long while back, I got tired of just blogging with "people like me"... other single Christian females, who made me laugh. I started leaving my comfort zone, and meeting real people all over the net... some who were VERY different from me in ways... but still oddly similar in other ways.

Through all of this, I've learned SO MUCH. By branching out to find people who were only "a little like me", I've discovered so much about myself that I'd never bothered to notice before!! As my blog readers have grown more diverse... I've grown more diverse too. I've explored new interests, learned new ways of life, and seen things in the lives of other bloggers that I want to bring into my own life. I've grown up, but also out... (both physically, and emotionally lol) I've tried a ton of new things... art journaling, collage (I *heart* collage so so so so deeply), painting, dancing, ATCS, poetry,... and some I have actually been pretty good at!

I love the fact that I don't have to choose a "group" of friends. I go from the blog of a Christian prayer warrier directly to a blog where I can get a tarot reading... AND NO ONE CAN BE MAD ABOUT IT! *sticking tongue out* I can read the blog of one person who is working to simplify her life, and then go directly to the blog of a mom driving herself crazy trying to get a million things done! I can read the deep philosophical musings of one blogger, and then laugh until I pee at the funny antics of another.

No matter who I visit, I'm not being a traitor to "my group" by siding with "the enemy"... my group is whoever wants to hang out on my blog, and my enemy is... umm... well, my enemy is still sucky mean people. LOL Some things probably won't ever change.

So, in order to bring some fresh blood (oh, doesn't that sound scawy? *revealing vampiric fangs*) to my blog... I'm starting off my 101 things in 1001 days project with:

#39. Visit 101 new blogs and comment.

Today's fun blog-of-the-day:

Check out this post about an awesome-looking old shack! Doesn't it make you want to write a story?