Strangely Productive Day.....

I knew after yesterday's butt-kicking ride that I wouldn't do any exercise today. And that was (and is) perfectly okay. I'm past the point of kicking myself if I skip even one day of exercise. I think I need the days off, too, and I don't obsess about how many days in a row I get some form of exercise.

I wasn't a total slug, though. I went to the grocery store (a chore I do NOT enjoy), caught up all the laundry (it only took two loads, but Hubby had an inordinately large number of socks in there, so I must have been slack last week), washed my bike and lubricated the chain and derailleurs, emptied the dishwasher and loaded it again.

And I allowed myself a couple of hours out at the pool, soaking up the sun (probably too much, but I was conscientious about putting on sunscreen) and listening to the baseball game. (Braves won - yay!)

A blog post by my friend Neena from last week has continued to bother me, mainly because I can relate so well to what she says in item #2. She's wrestling with her post-Ph.D. life, wondering in which direction she should go. One of the things she's considering is abandoning her blog. If she does I will miss her very much, but I totally understand how she feels.

It's sort of where I was going months and months ago when I wondered in this space why we blog. I blog because I love to write, but I think it's more than that. If it were the mere process of writing, a journal would accomplish the same thing. I think blogging requires a little more responsibility, because you must always consider your audience. I love the idea of an actual audience being out there reading my (sometimes) drivel, even if they are people I have never met and may never meet.

Neena's lament is that she gets few comments on her blog and her readership is down. Is that something happening all across the blogosphere, sort of like the woes of the economy spread to all facets of life all over the world? Because I've experienced the same thing. Sometimes it's disappointing to write something I think is incredibly witty/poignant/meaningful/deep/creative (okay, so I have a big ego or something) and then find that no one else has read it.

It could be like the case of one of my dear friends. She has a VERY busy life, and every now and then she used to say to me, "Oh, I've got to get caught up on your blog." She was apologetic. I think she felt like it was a book, and she couldn't just pick up on today's entry; she felt she had to go back and read it all, and who in the world has time for THAT? I don't EXPECT anyone to read my blog, and I'm deeply appreciative of anyone who takes the time to do so. I guess I'm just curious about why the change. 

I'm not whining, please believe me. Don't start wracking your brain and saying, "Oh...well...what can I comment to make her feel better?" That's not my purpose here.

I think my main purpose is to remind MYSELF that blogging is something I chose to do, to give myself an outlet and to make me produce SOME SORT of writing every day. Even if it's bad writing.

I will continue to blog until I don't want to do it anymore. I'm not going to let my decision be influenced by whether or not anyone else out there might be reading it. When it stops giving me pleasure, I will cease to do it.

Now if I could find some way to force myself to play the piano. And no, going back to playing the piano for church is NOT an option.