Why Another Blog?

I had to ask myself this same question when the idea initially occurred to me. But there are plenty of reasons, and they're all important.

First of all, blogging has been a learning experience for me in many ways. One of the things I've learned is that it makes me accountable. When I publish something, I have spoken my truth, and it helps put things in perspective. It gives me some sort of peace. I have journaled for many years, but there is something so in-your-face, not to mention public, about blogging. I have many improvements and upgrades that need to be made to the house before the girls come home. But I find it difficult to become motivated, knowing I will be doing much of the work myself. Maybe I have just become lazy about it. I am hoping that blogging about it will hold me accountable to a timetable, and also I think it's encouraging to see documentation of progress. I can often dream up a great idea, but doing the work to follow through and make it happen, that is another story.

Another reason is that I have a huge need to for creativity...as in me being creative, pretty much on a daily basis. It's not a luxury, it's a real need, and I get depressed when I deny myself. It is how I view the world. It is one of the major ways I experience true joy. Art school was no accident for me. However, there are big and small ways to enjoy creativity; I don't have to be attempting a masterpiece. It can come in the form of cooking, of finding new ways to organize things, in a clean and comfortable house. For me, fine art is about the journey, whether I am viewing it or creating it. Creative projects such as redoing the curtains or a sofa cushion, a whole room, or the upper perennial border are applied arts, and it's more about the finished results, which I like very much more than the work it takes to get there! So I am hoping that blogging about these things will force me to take the time from my busy "must do" list and pursue at least one thing of beauty on a daily basis. While I am blessed to have some creativity and flexibility in my job, it very structured in a mostly corporate way. That stuff has numbed my brain and pushed out the things in my life I really enjoy. I am hoping to hold myself accountable to what I know brings me joy. I have just about disciplined the joy right out of me, I sometimes think.

Then again, I'm not here to reinvent to wheel, and this may end up just being a good way to share ideas. On some other family blogs I read, the talk lately is about managing money, and saving on groceries and time. Sharing recipes and ideas is always a good thing for somebody. Recently I had to get on Google to try to find the best way to clean wood floors. What I had been doing was not working. I'd rather just talk to y'all and get your ideas. Google wanted me to buy all kinds of chemicals I don't need or want.

There are also times on the adoption front, when the load gets too heavy to bear. There are times when you just don't have anything you want to say about it, even though you are thinking about it all the time. At these times, you surely do not want to be writing about it either, or at least I don't. Adoption is not for the faint of heart. It takes the heart of a lion(ness) to weather the storm of international adoption. Forcing myself to think of other things and concentrate on them is an exersize for the sake of sanity. A lovely and necessary distraction.

And last of all, sometimes I just need to let off steam. If you have read my other blog, you know I occasionally go ballistic over the water conservation situation here in our drought stricken neck of the woods. Most of my fellow adoptive moms are not that interested in the topic, but they put up with my ranting anyway. I don't want to keep subjecting them to that. But I know I will continue to think about it, talk about it, and try to find solutions for my garden. I need a place to do this.

At it's best, I find blogging in itself to be an act of creativity, and so if this blog just turns into another outlet for that, then I've accomplished something!