Blogs are a funny thing. I started writing one so that friends and family back home could get a glimpse into life here. But then I found I was running out of things to say. I am not a cook, gardener, baker, decorator, sewer. I have no passionate hobbies or incredible insights on the world of today or theology. In general, I am not a very interesting person. At the core, I am a daughter of God, a wife, a mother, and a nurse.
I guess what I’m wondering now is why should I keep a blog at all? I like the idea of challenging myself to write creatively and thoughtfully - to engage my brain and be forced to communicate clearly and effectively. Perhaps I should get a few ideas from my friend Catherine Zadoretzky. As we grew up together, her letters and emails got progressively longer and longer, as well as funnier and funnier. (On one of her many trips to Europe, I believe it was France, she wrote back emails about her time there - pages and pages. I printed them off for her and gave them to her as a keepsake when she returned. I wonder if she still has them...?) She is now getting her masters in creative writing in Baltimore. (Oh how I miss that city sometimes!!)
Would commenting on the world around me be helpful, to me or to anyone else? I’ve been in Scotland now for three years. I never really understood things (ie - politics, etc) in the States before I moved, so I certainly don’t understand them now. I do feel as though I have a bit of a grasp on things here thanks mostly to my husband’s addiction to BBC Radio 4 (the British version of WNPR - talk radio). All of the radios in the house are automatically tuned to it. Our poor daughter is going to grow up knowing more about the House of Parlaiment than the latest kiddie show on TV.
There are plenty of places online where you can read the rantings and ramblings of someone more interesting and well-informed. So if in your kindness and curiosity you find yourself reading this one, thank you.
P.S. My husband started reading this while I was writing and asked, ‘Does this mean you’re quitting your blog?’ I would have said yes, until I saw the smile of anticipation and satisfaction on his face. Now I think I’m more determined to keep writing. Maybe I should add ‘stubborn’ to my list of core traits?
