Monday mornings used to be kind of bitter-sweet, not so much misery coming after a weekend of fun, but more a change of pace. The weekends with a growing family of 4 sons were hectic, noisy, challenging and great fun. Today, I open up my mail – snail mail is getting less, had you noticed? – anyway, the ordinary mail is dealt with very quickly and I turn to the computer. 30 emails – most of them spam/scam/adverts – so they are dealt with promptly. Everything is quick, quick, quick these days. It seems to me that our attention spans and ways of communicating are being damaged, or at least altered.
Up until ten years ago I would write to friends and family. They weren’t literary triumphs, but they were the daily doings of a Minister and I had a vague sense that the letters themselves were an important part of keeping in touch and commenting on the recipients ups and downs. Nowadays people like to text with one liners and text-speak. I feel left out of it by and large, since there is rarely any mobile phone signal at home, and I get fed up wandering around holding said implement up in the air, tutting as signal bars come and go.
I guess this blog is the nearest I get to sharing ideas, thoughts and experiences with friends who drop by. Yet I know that some of my family never read it. On occasion I forget that the others do, and then if I have slipped up and allowed a down day to be recorded, there is a phone call – always welcome. Where it gets difficult in comparison to writing to an individual, is that a letter wins hands down, because it can be a personal conversation. A letter can focus on the other instead of concentrating on the self. The nature of a blog does not allow this, a blog is mixture of ideas and random thoughts albeit with opportunity for feedback and comment.
So it is back to the eternal question – why do we write our blogs? As I sit here at the computer I hear the washing machine finishing its cycle, the TV in the background, (it’s the cricket) and I look forward with anticipation to brewing the mid-morning cappuccino. It feels like I have shared a tiny portion of my life in a remote corner of Scotland. It’s been a connection, a connection that matters and grows and makes me smile. Yes, I’m sorry I don’t do letters very much, but I am glad to be part of a growing breed of bloggers.
I was just signing off to get some sleep this early morning, and your new post popped up in my reader – so I came by and am so glad I did. It is a great post. Yes, I agree that the snail mail is becoming less and less (Christmas cards are really dwindling, also). I have noticed that even my email communication with friends is lessening, as more and more of us use our Facebook pages to message one another. I have not gotten into texting at all, as I have only a simple pay-as-you-go cellphone and do not intend to upgrade, as I have never been a “phone person.” I do feel really out of it, however, in not knowing that world of texting and apps! And letters? I never write them — or receive them — anymore, and I miss them. They were lovely, weren’t they?
In any case, I am always happy to read your always-interesting and frequently-touching musings and feel I have grown to know you as a friend via our blogs. Just tonight I read a nice guest post by a blogger about why he blogs and I think you would enjoy it too. It is here (a link at his blog takes you to his guest post…)
Thanks, Lydia, it is an interesting way to have an ongoing conversation by using the comments, and I think of you as a friend too. I enjoyed the guest post by Square Sunshine, and intend to look back at his blog. My problem is that I don’t always get back to see what response my comments have made – do you do it through a follow-up by email? Happy snoozing!
Like you I lament the passing of the hand-written letter. My last ones were written in response to those sent me after John’s death. Even though most of those were cards with longer than usual messages I relished the opportunity of writing back.
You are right, I’m sure, that blogging is largely catering for the ‘inner author’ in most of us.
Long live blogger say I. Can’t imagine what could take its place.
A lover of whole sentences, I really enjoyed your post today. I keep coming back and looking at that baby sloth. I have seen the adults in the zoo, but he is so cute.
Comments are a nice way to exchange ideas.
Freda, I do not follow up comments by email. I admire those who take the time to do so (they are few and far between!) but it would just complicate blogging too much for me.
I just read your comment about my latest post and found this Wendell Berry book of poetry that you may be interested in! I am linking to the Amazon U.S. site because of the interesting customer reviews (that do not exist at the Amazon UK site), but the book is available at the UK site.
I used to be “marathon letter writer.” I wrote lengthy and frequent letter to my family and friends. Fewer came in to my hands than went out, but that didn’t particularly bother me. But my expansive writing stopped a long time ago, I guess when life got in the way. I think that is why I enjoy blogging so much. The art of letter writing may be gone from my life, but I revel in writing my blog posts and reading others. A sign of the times, I suppose.
I, too, am glad you have joined the growing breed of bloggers!
What an interesting post.
It’s true; blogging is a way of making new friends and keeping up with those family members that read one’s blog. Of my five children two read my blog. I think my sister reads it sometimes, and my cousin in New Zealand reads it occasionally. Some of my friends also. I am often surprised when people mention to me that they have read it and like it. I find it quite different from letter writing, something I almost never so these days. With a blog you don’t quite know whom you may be addressing. Letters are just one to one. A personal blog is rather like a diary that isn’t private.
It’s interesting to see the various comments and slants on how blogging works. Anne, I sometimes wonder if I assume a personal place for the reader. That could get me into bother, though so far it has not happened. For instance, I was thinking of writing a post for today which could prove problematic, however it won’t go away, so it looks like I am going to share things that are again rather personal.
I absolutely love blogging. I feel it is an outlet where I can creatively post my likes, and very occasionaly, my dislikes. I find it entirely different than letter writing or sending an email. I make an effort to post vignettes of approximately the same length and the challenge comes in keeping them interesting. I love that challenge and the idea that I can still (at age 78) put together a coherent thought.
Facebook, it’s equivalents and Twitter are not my cup of tea.
I also love the interplay with people from all over the world … with their different views and ethnicities.
I’ve loved getting to know a little bit about you from your blog. Having met you once, I think, and having heard about you a lot from a certain mutual friend, I feel that your blog is my way of getting to know you too. Keep going.
My last post was about the difference between blogging and keeping a diary/journal. I’m back to journalling just now because I find it helpful. I’ve hardly blogged at all recently but I know that it is read by some diverse people, and hardly by my family at all!
Thanks for the encouragement, Ruth. I agree that journalling is very helpful. What I aim to do with blogging is a little bit of personal stuff and a lot of encouraging readers to think things through. At least that is what I am doing today. Tomorrow it may be different of course.
Ginnie, I’m putting your url here so people can find you.
http://goldendaze-ginnie.blogspot.com/
sorry, I’m not clever enough to make it clickable. I am a new reader of yours and am enjoying watching your style and the way you encourage us to think things through. Like you, I enjoy the way we meet up with friends from all over the world.
Oops! WordPress did the clickable bit itself for Ginnie – see above. I must need a rest!