If I Wrote a Book

I have always thought about writing a book. I even played with titles, subject matter focus, and a lot more. But I never progressed beyond a few pages of text.

Instead, I wrote this blog. Yesterday was my 10^th anniversary of the blog, October 4, 2011.

This blog is my way of journaling my thoughts on a broad array of topics that matter to me. One day it is this subject, another day quite another to chat about. Along the way I found myself and my tongue. Hopefully, it is of value to others. I know it is of value to me. It calms me. It allows me to feel I am doing something about the condition of the world. 

Unlike sitting in a rocky chair and making it move, writing a blog does reach out to others and moves ideas around. Over the years 314,000 hits have registered on the blog. That is not individuals, just visits by a bunch of people. Some years the blog attracted over 100,000 hits. Most of the time only 30,000 visits were hosted.

That number is small, insignificant really. I have co-posted the blog on Facebook for several years and the blog’s following is good there, more local. So, the blog has hosted more visits than the 314,000; I just don’t know how many.

The blog has allowed me to see the big things in small corners of my mind, nation, global community. It has sparked creative reaches of logic that have proved helpful. And, along this journey, I have improved my ability to express myself. I think more logically. I think more globally. I home in on values and principles that truly matter. At least to me.

I have come to realize that I could not write a book because it would require me to focus much too much on a single topic or three. The world is not constructed in such a manner. It comprises millions of bits and pieces all happening at once. Each impinges on another and so on. Meaning comes in brilliant pinpoints of light, not vistas. So, the book never materialized.

Instead, I have published over 3 million words to this blog. I even thought of culling my blog posts to assemble a book or several, but the process of doing that was too large. It was exhausting. In the end I was not certain of its value.

I have abandoned the notion of writing a book. It is not age that dissuades me. It is focus and worth.

For now, I will continue the blog. Besides, I bought a new computer keyboard, and it is fun and good to work with. The words just pour from their keys. Who would have thought that was the secret? It is not me; it is the keyboard. Amazing.

October 5, 2021