I have had this blog for almost 4 years. Sometimes I can't believe I have had it this long, and other times I think it is time to stop blogging, that surely no one can be that interested in what we do with our lives or with seeing one.more.photo of Finn. But the truth is that even if no one reads it? I love to do it. Sometimes I hit a slump, and go on an unannounced short hiatus, and other times the words just spew, even if they mean nothing to anyone but me.
I try to be real, to be honest, and to keep certain things private. Unless you know me in real life you don't actually know everything that is going on with me, or with my family. Some things have to remain for us, and I think every blogger, give or take a few, feels this way. I realize I could take my blog private, and write even more, but right now I think I have a pretty good thing going, and I love looking at my blog stats and seeing that I literally have readers from all over the world. I don't know how you found me, or why you stuck around, but I really do appreciate it. I love that people find me by searching terms such as:
*proper way to blow nose
*blow nose once a day
*grown daughter tells mom to shut up all the time
*what is the correct way to blow the nose
*advice moving london to atlanta
*DON'T ADDRESS LETTER WITH FELLOW
*labor day 1997
Clearly some people out there really need some help with blowing their nose. And to think that stemmed from a post about something my oldest nephew said to me, not a tutorial on how to blow your nose. Someone also really wants to remember what happened Labor Day 12 years ago. Rock on!
Yet, here's the dilemma. I can see what people look at, I can see what photos people download, or enlarge, or what search terms they use to get to certain pages. And I don't care, 99% of the time. Look at them, don't look at them, comment, don't comment, this is a public blog so I have to expect that, right? I don't mind.
But when is it too much? I know someone is searching for info on people in my family. I can SEE them doing it. I see the search terms they use, the photos they pull up. And it angers me. It is inappropriate and nosy and they won't find what they are looking for and if I could ban them from my blog I would. This makes me question my blog, about why I do it, and almost makes me want to stop. Almost. Instead I think I will have to be much more vigilant about not putting my extended family on here, which makes me sad.
This is a peril of public blogging. I know it, I guess I accept it, but I don't have to like it.
1 hour ago
