Over the weekend we had a great lunch and visit with one of Rob’s oldest childhood friends and his wife and adorable son. Rob lived up the street from this friend when he was little and we now live up the street from them now! Such a small world.

It was really nice to get to know them a bit (I had never met them). Rob mentioned that I love to blog and they asked me why?

It’s a good question. I used to think that there was something very narcissistic about blogging; something weird about sharing so many details of your life with people – sometimes complete strangers! I have traditionally been a very private person so blogging on a public forum was certainly pushing my limits. I started blogging a couple of years ago privately and liked it – and then last year started making it public, mainly to share with my family and friends.

There are lots of reasons why people blog, but here are my top 10:

1. Solidify the Memories: I have always been a record keeper. I love to keep a journal, keep photo albums, and scrapbooks. I love to document everything. It helps keep all the memories alive! “The palest ink is worth more than the sharpest memory”. Blogging is a great way to document: write, add pictures, link to other things. Plus, I really just like doing it – it’s enjoyable to me!

2. For the Love of Writing: I love to write, so blogging is an opportunity for me to write what I want to write (rather than write the reports I have to write). Helps me improve my writing skills too!

3. Leave a Legacy: I wanted a place to record memories and stories for future generations. My grandmother documented parts of her life which my cousin compiled into a beautiful book and we all have copies. We’ve read this book as a family and it was an amazing experience; learning a bit of our family history gives everyone a sense of connection and belonging. My Dad also loved to tell stories – but unfortunately many are not written down. How I wish he had documented more, or I had written them down. It would have been a way to still connect with him since he’s passed on. The record is essentially a gift I leave for my future generation.

4. Live more Deliberately : Blogging makes me more deliberate in my daily life. Sounds strange but if you write something, you are more accountable for making sure it happens. I can’t write something that I don’t actually do. It works the other way around too. If I want to make sure I do something, I just have to make sure I write it down – I’m now accountable to myself (and my kids who hold me to it!)

5. Find Clarity: Writing helps me organize my thoughts and evaluate how I am really feeling. It brings me clarity and perspective. Sometimes only after I write a post will I have a clear idea of what I need to do next, or what my opinion is, of how I really feel.

6.Communicate with Others : Blogging is a way of keeping in contact with family and friends. We live so far from some so it’s a way of still being connected in the everyday little ways.

7. Connection and Support : Blogging connects you to others. You don’t always know someone who can relate to your situation in your immediate social circle. The blog world opens up the opportunity to connect with people who are similar. You can find friendship and support.

8. Expand My Perspective: At the same time, blogging can expose you to different people who are not like you. You get exposed to other people’s point of view. It’s nice to hear other people’s perspectives. It really can help you broaden your own.

9. Express My Love: Blogging is a great way for connecting with my own kids! They love reading about themselves or our family or seeing pictures of everyone. I like that they can see in writing how much I love them – or what I think about them. It’s a permanent expression of my love for them – even when I’m not around.

10. Show Gratitude: Blogging makes me really feel like I’m living my life now and reminds me to be grateful of all the little things that really make up my life. It’s wasy to find joy in the big stuff. But, I want to find joy in all the in between stuff too. Blogging heightens my awareness of the small pleasures and triumphs. Things get appreciated more, expressed more, remembered more.