The Art in Life

It’s a funny thing, this blogging business. I have some thoughts about it that have been swirling around lately, and I wanted to finally share some.

It used to be that people kept journals or wrote letters to chronicle their existence. Now, we plaster it across the Internet through a multitude of social media. We use Instagram to record every meal, Twitter to announce our most recent location, and Facebook to…. well… share everything a second time. We use Pinterest to build future dream houses with closets full of designer clothes and plan the perfect wedding even after our own is over. We create blogs to have perpetual soapboxes.

And obviously, since I am writing this on my own blog, I am a lover of social media. I don’t pretend otherwise nor do I advocating living under a rock and missing out on all the fun ways to connect that are out there. Except Twitter. I just don’t get that one. It’s like a stressfully crafted Facebook status without any of the gratification of likes or comments. What’s the point? If you follow me, I will lead you nowhere.

But lately I have been thinking more about the point in blogging. And where better to find some things on this subject than on some blogs. Rebekah wrote a good post about “crafting” rather than “spewing” and Fran wrote one that was good in so many ways that I don’t even know where to start. In it she reminded people who blog to remember why they do it.

I’ve been thinking about that lately. Though it isn’t a huge commitment, it does take time to write posts, curate and upload images, and respond to comments. Why am I taking time away from other stuff to do that?

I know what I am not doing it and that is to make money.  This is a little blog, with a small readership, in a tiny corner of the Internet. I like it here. I realize there are people who become professional bloggers and I even read some of their blogs. But someday, I would like to have kids, and I don’t think I would be comfortable with making money off of other people looking at pictures of my family’s most private moments. I don’t want to ever have to share certain things, or not share other things, because I am somehow getting money from this hobby.

But as to this blog’s purpose, the simple answer is that I like doing it. There is something soothing about sorting through the thoughts, moments, tastes, and impressions of everyday life and then sharing those ones that others might appreciate as well. Life happens quickly, and currently my everyday life is lived very far from a lot of people that I love.  Here, I get to catch some of the best parts of everyday and hold on to them, sharing them through this little space.

So yes, blogging is trivial, like all the rest of social media. But that doesn’t necessarily make it pointless. My dad, an Old Testament scholar who loves all things pertaining to building monuments to remember things, described our impulse to document so well: “Photographs, souvenirs, journals and, yes, blogs, are not just trivia floating on the sea of social media; they are small but powerful sacramental moves against the tide of darkness and loss of life.”  We share everything an attempt to lose nothing.

Of course, if we are too busy commemorating life to live it fully and be fully present, that is maybe even worse than forgetting it. I know that I can be tempted to fall in to this trap, to want to share something too personal, or to be so distracted taking pictures of something to enjoy it. Luckily for me I married James, who is all too happy to remind me to stop documenting life and focus on living it. If we ever get to the point where I can’t do both, then I’ll quit blogging.

I also blog because I like reading other blogs. I’ve mentioned some of my favorites before and linked to them in the side bar, but here are a couple that I have to give a special note to because they do such a good job of living and sharing life.

• Amanda’s blog is one of the few “mommy blogs” that I enjoy. Now before my friends with babies get all upset – if I know you, then yes, I do enjoy seeing pictures of your baby and hearing about what they can do now. But I don’t tend to read stats about babies to whom I have no actual tie. However, even if you don’t know Amanda, she writes with such candor and grace that it’s worth reading.
• Sharon’s blog always makes me laugh, and by that I mean the snorting sort of laugh where whatever you were drinking comes out your nose. I’m pretty sure we were supposed to be friends when we had one overlapping year at college and I don’t know how I missed it.
• Jess’s blog always offers hysterical Bachelor chats, so even though I usually stick to blogs of people I know in person, I like heading over there each week for some girl talk.
• Nancy’s blog because it is funny in the way that passes the milk test as well. The milk test, as referenced above by Sharon’s blog, is of course the one where if you were drinking milk while reading, would you randomly do the aggressive snort laugh where milk comes out your nose. Gross, but true.

So that’s all I have to say now on blogging. It sounds silly, but I really do appreciate the time that you all take to read and comment, and I try to respond to all of the latter. Over the past couple months there have been a couple changes around her, updating the “About” page (which still had wedding planning happening… thank goodness that is over) and adding a “Sample” page of posts that are a good place to start so you don’t waste time reading a blog you don’t like. Thanks for sticking around.

Any thoughts on blogging from y’all, especially those who blog themselves?