Blogging

Since I started writing my blog is April2012Blogging had become an integral part of my lifeMore than a hobby It's something that I feel compelled to doAnd it's part of my everyday routineEvery morningAfter I walk my dogs I settle down on the floor of the living roomMy back to the sofaCup of hot sweet tea at handAnd just write until the mess of tangled words in my head makes some sort of senseWhile I walk my dogsI listen to the radio I love chat showsAnd phone in showsListening to conversation Without the pressure of having to contributeI also think about what I'm going to write about that dayAnd by the time I get homeI have the bones of a post formed in my headI try to write every dayI do that on purpose Because writing my blog is something I do every day One day at a timeA lot like AA
Inspiration comes from everywhere And I'm always on the look out for interesting topicsSomething might happen in my lifeLike my relapseOr getting caught shopliftingI might review a book I've read Or a documentary I've watchedIt might be an item about mental health or addiction highlighted in the newsIt may be a personal postA thought postA story from my pastInspiration is everywhere And I get my cues to write in the most obscure places
I've always written For as long as I can rememberI kept diaries Logs of different times in my life Usually when I was in treatment And had the time and energy and clarity of mind to writeThere something lovely about documenting a moment in timeSomething that the memory fails to recall no matter how hard you tryThere were a few years where I wrote pretty much nothingI was on the throes of addictionAnd it just didn't seem important Now I wish I had documented that timeAs there are so many storiesThings you couldn't make up Things that memory can't quite do justice to As I have said beforeWhen I think back to that timeI can't quite work out if something really happened Or if it was a dreamOr a hallucination Because it could have easily been any of them
I was a late comer to the world of the internetWhat with being strung outIt held no interest to meThen I moved to a place where there was no internet connectionAnd do it wasn't until a few years ago that I first dipped my toe in the World Wide WebBy then My ED was in full flightAnd I began looking for others like meI started reading blogs probably about a year before I decided to write my ownBy then Blogging  was hugeAnd every one and their mother had a blogI didn't expect anything from bloggingI just wanted to know that I wasn't aloneThat there were others like meAnd people who had come out the other side alive and well
Blogging is a strange phenomenon And what with FacebookTumblrYouTube TwitterAnd Instagram It seems everyone wants to share their lives with anyone who will read, watch, listenI don't use FBNever have But of course I have looked at itYes something's are thought provoking and funnyAnd I do recognize the place social media has I guess I use my blog instead of FacebookAs I find it much easier to share my life with strangers than I do with those I know personally I thought about why that isAnd I think it's because I'm not emotionally attached to the personI'm not going to hurt themOr disappoint themOr let them downOr worry them I can share my thoughts and experiences safe in the knowledge that there will be no come backIs it the same for everyone?I don't know You tell me
I share most things on the InternetSo I can't really give out about others who do the sameBut why do we do it?What compels us to share our thoughtsOur experiencesOur triumphs and failuresOur deepest secretsAnd our sickness?Maybe it's because we don't have anyone in real life to share them withMaybe we are looking for others like usMaybe we want sympathyOr empathyMaybe we want our struggles and pain to be acknowledged Maybe we want attentionRecognitionMaybe we want notorietyMaybe we want to shock othersMaybe we have more sinister reasonsIf I am really honest When ever something happens in my lifeOne of my first thoughts isOh that's something to write about How healthy is that?I'm not entirely sure 
Of courseWe wouldn't write If we didn't get some kind of payoffFor meIt's the connection with others The hope that my experiences will helpSomeone else get through the dayI'm lucky to have amazing readersWho leave such thoughtful and kind commentsWhich absolutely make my dayEveryday I get emails from people across the world I feel privileged that these people share their stories with meAnd I always try to reply Of course there is the odd nasty commentBut that's to be expected When you put yourself out there
On the whole Blogging has been an extremely positive experienceAnd force for good in my lifeI read back over posts That I have no recollection of writing And I wonder how I am still standing It just goes to show what we can withstand And overcome when we have to 
With all that saidI was wondering about youWhy did you start blogging?Has it been a force for good in your life?How long have you been writing?How often do you write?Answers on a postcard please ......