Blogging

I first began blogging back in 2005 I think. My memory is not what it used to be since my fluid crisis of 2011 and another heart surgery. I try not to stress over it. The reason I began my original blog (which was on AOL Journals) was that I felt more people needed to know there were cancer survivors. At that time I had survived Hodgkins disease for about 30 years and wanted others to know that there were long term survivors. I soon learned that the radiation which had saved me had also done damage to my heart and I blogged about my first heart surgery when I received a mechanical aortic valve. Later I decided I wanted a more personal blog where I could journal about life in general and created Copious Chatter on AOL. Shortly thereafter AOL began allowing ads on our blogs and there was a mass exodus to other websites one could blog out. My blogging mentor Jennifer told me she was coming to blogger and I followed her. She was so wonderful always giving me tips on how to do things in my blog. It was hard to leave AOL because they had also highlighted my second blog and made it their #1 pick. Still, it was ridiculous to journal about something serious when there were banners on top of what your journal.

When I came to blogger I kept my journal a mix of the health issues and personal. When I was recently diagnosed with PAH I started a second journal as well. That one deals only with the disease and not all the other personal aspects of my life. Two nights ago I attended a Webinar about blogging and now I wonder if I actually need two. It's just that someone who doesn't know you might want to learn only about the disease and I don't have a way to sort the different posts. They might find the other details of my life boring. Most of my regular readers have been with me awhile. Many are not registered and can't post comments except for anonymously but send me emails if they want to share something about a posting.

I blog now because it's an outlet for me. It's also a way of keeping people I care about informed of what is going on. To quote Sally Field upon winning her second Oscar in 1985 "you like me". It's a wonderful feeling to know that others care about us, even in the virtual sense. Most of you who read my blog have your own and I read them as well. Each blog brings something else to my life. I am thrilled when my friend Ronni gets a good report. I love to see what Judith has going on in her studio. I could go on and on about what I love of each of the blogs I read. I hope people can go away from reading something I have written and find something meaningful to them in it. It also occurs to me that when I am no longer here to post, you might remember me. I have let you see the polished and the unpolished versions. I have shared hurts and disappointments but I have also shared joy and victory. I have let you in and shared my thoughts. I think that is what blogging is all about.