"You too have a complicated interior life that deserves to be explored and shared!"

I wrote that somewhere, apparently not here, in connection with the upcoming meetup. One of the things I enjoy about blogs is that it often gives a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings, the "interior life," of others. Here's a post from Jack Baty that illustrates what I'm writing about.

Now, I'm retired and nearly all of my time is my own. I seldom feel as though I have "too much," though I usually have nothing to do.

People say, nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day. Winnie-the-Pooh (A.A. Milne)

Here's another example from The Online Photographer.

It is possible to over-think things. But my experience has been that writing about these recursive ruminations often offers a way out of the labyrinth, if only temporarily.

We all have opinions, and there are (too) many outlets for sharing those. But by sharing some aspect of the way we experience our lives, I think, can be healing, while sharing opinions can be divisive. Now, it is risky. Especially if your personal interior experience isn't solidly in the middle of the Bell Curve. If you're not a cis-gendered, neurotypical member of the majority class, chances are pretty good that some people will feel as though your interior experience is wrong. It even happens to those comfortably on the middle-curve, but it's especially likely where those experiences may make a reader uncomfortable.

I would say it's worthwhile for anyone to blog about their life, but it can make you vulnerable, and it's definitely not for everyone.

The fact that blogs are kind of passé appeals to me. They are enjoying something of a renaissance, to be sure; but I don't think they'll ever become the kind of hot new medium that attracts ambitious attention-seekers, would-be influencers. To my mind, they're more like the "back fence" of this worldwide "neighborhood" on the web.

The days of creating a new InstaPundit, by way of a blog, are happily over.

Nowadays, it's more "just us chickens."

Not all blogs are "personal" of course. Many focus on hobbies, activities, issues and so on, often to the exclusion of anything personal. Those can be helpful and entertaining, but I enjoy the ones where people share something about themselves, along with their hobbies, activities, issues and so on.

James Reeves' Atlas Minor is a favorite of mine. The writing is sharp, the posts are brief, there's an atmosphere in them. Not all of them, but most of them. John P. Weiss is another. You can exercise your photography and writing skills while telling stories that made meaning in your life. That's John's blog.

I've never "met" anyone I read "IRL." (I get to use scare quotes because I'm old and past my cool kid sell-by date.) But I feel as though I know something about them. I know it's a curated, carefully edited version, but don't we all want to put our best face forward? I met Jack, virtually, for the first time getting ready for the meetup. He seemed just like he is in his blog, authentic.

So there's value in blogging. For the blogger and the reader. Risk too.

But we're all in this together, and none of us is getting out of here alive.

Thanks for dropping by.

Originally posted at Nice Marmot 06:46 Monday, 19 February 2024