From Sognatrice (Bleeding Espresso)

The Top Five Things I’ve Learned from Having a Blog

1. People are awesome. Seriously. It's easy to get down on humankind if one only watches the news or has to combat fellow subway patrons every day. Blogging has shown me that there are wonderful people in the world everywhere, willing to help, chat, console, donate, participate, and just be there. Can you believe I've actually been sent a fabulous camera by a fellow blogger? Amazing, amazing, amazing.

2. People are mean. Not so much through my blog as I’ve been really lucky to have been spared by trolls (knock on wood), but I do keep up on what’s happening elsewhere. I can’t believe how downright awful people become when they have the anonymity of the Internet to protect them from any real consequences. Depressing and sad, but see first lesson above.

3. My words can touch people. I’m a writer, and I’ve always known that I was, but until I started posting my work on my blog, I never *really* knew how/if people could be affected by what I wrote. I love every single comment but especially those that tell me how I made the reader feel, what I made her think about, what he remembered. You can’t get that from most forms of writing, and certainly not so instantaneously.

4. I can dedicate myself to something I enjoy and achieve some level of success. I’ve done the college and law school thing and published all kinds of articles since then, and I’m happy with those achievements, but to be able to create a body of work that I feel others actually appreciate is something different and truly rewarding. I truly believe in the adage that you should do what you love and the money will follow, and I feel blessed to be able to test out that theory.

5. I’m not that special. And I mean that in a good way! What I’m saying is that my trials and tribulations, particularly as an expat in

Italy

but also as a disgruntled ex-lawyer, struggling writer, etc., are not unique to me, and that is oh-so-comforting--especially when I’m halfway around the world from my usual support network.

So what have you learned from blogging?

Comments

[Kerith]

I have learned that blogging, just like anything else, takes more disipline that you thought you had!

[michelle of bleeding espresso]

That is so true Kerith! Does force you to get your act together so to speak ;)

[pussreboots]

Nice post. :)

[Judith in Umbria]

I take exception to the statement that you aren't that special. Even though many may be having similar experiences, you have a special way of communicating the situation as you see it to an astounding number of different types of people.