Why Blog?
I’ve blogged occasionally for several years. An interest would grab me and I’d write about it. The most frequent and long standing of my blogs chronicled my quest to learn Mandarin. I expected the blog to continue indefinitely. I would stop studying for months at a time, giving me nothing to write about. When we started the process to bring Penelope home, naturally I started a blog. Unfortunately I rarely updated it.
I wrote updates to our families every night while in China. In Zhengzhou I went to the lobby, hopped on the wi-fi, and sent off a quick note to our loved ones. In Guangzhou the room had wi-fi. The emails got longer. “Why not put these on the adoption blog?” I thought.
When we returned home I followed through on my promise to update the blog, including the text and images I emailed to our families. Then something remarkable happened. I kept writing.
Writing was my way of processing and ordering that day’s events. I would think through the moments we spent together, eating meals, seeing the sights, and completing the adoption. Most importanly I could relive the moments with Jenn and Penelope. I loved it. And I loved writing. After Penelope came into our lives my inhibitions about writing evaporated. It took going to China to get my daughter to be free.
When she’s older, Penelope will look back and read about our life together. About how we belong together.
Documenting for Penelope’s sake was my sole purpose when I started this.
Upon reflection I discovered other reasons. More selfish ones. I am writing for my benefit. I am writing to preserve these moments. I envision a day when Penelope will ask questions about what it was like the first day we met her, the first time I held her, or how she danced the first time I played “Blitzkrieg Bop” for her.
And to show Penelope the importance of not only having dreams, but following them.
There are so many reasons not to pursue our passions. They may seem unrealistic. Or we might think they will be too expensive. We may believe they require more talent than we have. And on and on.
The question I kept asking myself as I cycled through the excuses was “What if I never try?”. What if I never took the time or put in the effort to pursue my desire; to write. What kind of example will I be to my daughter? Back to the original question: Why blog?
I do it because I love it. I publish it because I hope others will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.
