The Life of Bon: Do you love blogging?

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Do you love blogging?


Hello!  And welcome!  There are some new faces around here so please, allow me to give you a quick rundown:

My name is Bonnie. Those who feel affectionately toward me call me Bon Bon and those who hate me call me Bonarrhea. Whatever works. I am obsessed with straight, white teeth and trashy reality TV.  My worst habit is biting my nails down to the stubs and being overly sarcastic with my students.  Oh yah.  I'm a teacher. Of sorts. I try to drill grammar into the heads of hormonal teenagers, so call that what you will. Some days it works, some days it doesn't.  I'm married to the finest ginger on the block who will do a mad Native American chief accent if you catch him at the right moment.  Yes, I am very lucky.  Oh, and you can find me all over this freaking internet most often on twitter and instagram (@thelifeofbon), but sometimes on facebook and pinterest too.

We friends now?

I've been thinking a lot about this blog lately.  And about what it's purpose is and why I do it and why people blog in general.  The other day I came home from work, flung myself dramatically on the bed and yelled to Greg, "But I don't want to do a blog post!  I'm too tired!  I don't want to write anything!"

And Hubs laughed and said, "Bon, isn't that what you want to do with your life?  Write?"
And I said, "Yes!  But I just don't feeeeeeeeel like it!"  Emphasis on the feel.
He gave me one of those looks that let me know we were going to go real deep and then he said slowly, "Bonnie, do you love blogging?"
And I looked back at him and said, "I don't know."
Silence.
And then I said, "I'm going to walk the dog now."
And I left.

And don't you love how many sentences I've started with and?!?

I thought about the question on my walk, "Do I love blogging?"   The question isn't simple- in fact, it's weirdly convoluted and complicated.

I love writing, I love making friends, I love being part of a community.
Blogging gives me all those things.
I hate people being insincere or dishonest, I hate nasty comments, I hate how easy it is to feel not pretty/funny/rich/popular enough.
Blogging also gives me all of those things.

So the truth is I don't think I love blogging.
And the truth truth is I don't know if I ever will.

But.  What I do love is writing.  Pure, unadulterated writing.  I love telling stories, I love listening to stories, I love sharing human experiences.  I love reading something and thinking, "I have felt that exact same thing that this person is describing.  I have never met this person and I probably never will.  We will never live in the same place or maybe even the same year, and yet we experience the same thing."  To me, blogging is all about the human experience and sharing whatever that human experience entails- from the day you fell in love with a redhead, to wading through the enormous grief of losing a father, to how in the hell am I supposed to keep groceries in the fridge every week?!?

I am so grateful to be part of a greater blogging community where stories are welcomed and shared and commented on and read and passed along.  Because when it comes down to it, all we have is our stories.


Sometimes remembering will lead to a story, which makes it forever.  That's what stories are for.  Stories are for joining the past to the future.  Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can't remember how you got from where you were to where you are.  Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story.

I have this hanging in my classroom.
It is beautiful.
And  true.

Why do you blog?

38 comments:

  1. I love this post. So much. I think that I blog because it makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something just for me. I'm not doing it for my fiancee, I'm not doing it for work, I'm not doing it for anyone but me.

    And at the end of writing a new post, I just look back, and I feel like I've accomplished something. It's challenging for me, but that's why I love it.

    I think your blog is amazing and is inspiring me to do more with mine. Don't stop!

    xo, Becs - Good as Gold
    rebeccakaryn.blogspot.com

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  2. This post is great! I love blogging as a way to capture the beauty of every day life. I blog about the different adventures my hubby and I go on, with our friends and family, and I know I'm going to love looking back 6 months or 6 years from now and remembering what our lives were like at that time. I blog for myself, and it's so rewarding!

    Sheree
    The Hartungs Blog
    thehartungs.blogspot.ca

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  3. Anonymous6:43 PM

    I am a new blogger and I love blogging because I love writing. I didn't actually realize I loved writing until I started blogging.

    I am to new to have a community to love, but I have read some blog posts that made me feel all the of not nice things you have felt.

    Keep blogging, I love reading your stories.

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  4. I'm new to your blog. I'm sure I found you thru another blog friend. I'm really not sure. this could be my first time posting a comment. i know i'm a newbie to it and i enjoy it.

    I usually just blog to get things off my mind and usually it helps but i dont the feed back i want.

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  5. I love this post. So true. Sometimes blogging can be hard: one the one hand, you want to be popular and please the audience, one the other, you want to write what you want and don't give a care as to what readers think.

    I absolutely love your quote. I am a history teacher, but I absolutely love English and books and the written word. They have always been entwined to me. I even wrote about it last year: http://morrellfairytale.blogspot.com/2011/10/history-and-literature.html

    That's why I am a history teaching major and and English teaching minor.

    That's why my blog is called Our Fairy Tale: You are the author of your own life story. I've always wanted to be a writer, too. (Fantasy)

    morrellfairytale.blogspot.com

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  6. I love and hate blogging at the same time. And I'll never quit.

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  7. I love sharing, and writing, and being social and its hard to do when you're home with kids all day so blogging/facebook/twitter have become my social life lately. I've been emailing a lot with some fun ladies and I realize that I am completely fulfilled if I have blogging friends even if I don't have many followers.

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  8. I really dislike the "business" aspect of blogging. But man, I love getting my thoughts out there. I enjoy being able to write and have others read it. It may be the closest I ever get to a book, you know? I look at it as "extreme" journaling.

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  9. Oh Bonnie, I wrote a very similar post on why I blog this week! I'm relatively new to blogging but have had those moments where I haven't posted for a few days and almost feel forced that I need to blog. But I can't write if I don't feel it. WE give you permission to skip a few days too if you don't feel like it xx
    Cheers - Lou @ The Honesty Path

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  10. Oh I love this. I'm not big in the blogging community and rarely even comment on posts of other bloggers I read so I don't necessarily get the "bad" out of blogging, but probably not all the good you listed either.

    I do, however, love blogging. I started it for one reason and have remained true to that reason.

    To me, it is a creative outlet. I love being totally emersed in a post for an hour or two and love rereading posts years after they've been posted. It is a journal of my life and all the ups and downs. I don't have time for scrapbooking and am not sure if places even print pictures anymore (haha) so for me, this is it, all wrapped into one. And at the end of the day, I honest to God do not give 2 &^!@# if anyone reads my posts or not or what they think!

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  11. Reading other blogs became an outlet to when I needed a fantasy life to go to when mine was extremely rough.

    From that, it gave me the deepest urge to go after my dreams just like everyone I follow. I want to blog because I am passionate about community building and animals, especially with my new job in the next two weeks through C.L.A.W.S. and Paws With C.L.A.W.S.

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  12. This is awesome Bonnie!! The ups and downs of blogging are so real. You are incredible writer, so I am sooooo glad you share that with the world. I love blogging because I love sharing my outfits with the world and inspiring others... it is def. a love/hate relationship though! :)

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  13. Such a brilliant post and I completely agree with it all! And this is why I love blogging, because I can connect so well with what others are saying.

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  14. I love writing. Blogging seems to be the medium for which writing is done. I blog because amongst all the hard, really shitty day to day realities, my new little blog is my happy place where I can talk about shiny things, chocolate, and trashy TV.

    Blogging has become addicting because it's sharing the human experience. When you think you're alone, you're not. Blogging helps me realize that.

    www.MommaCandy.com

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  15. Hi hi Hiiii! First time commenting ~ hopping on over from our pal Krista's blog. I'm delighted that you *tolerate* blogging - because you're a hoot! Better yet, you're authentic!
    I definitely blog to keep it real, stay creative, appreciate this precious - simple - moments in life/family. I think I keep avoiding the notion of 'advertising' for fear that blogging would become 'work' and then I would loathe it! lol
    Anywho.. you rock. take that.
    mel ;o)
    needle and nest design

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  16. It is so good to hear this from you. I love your blog and you always make it look so easy and fun.
    When I started my blog, it was just to keep a "journal" of our lives right now.
    Then I started obsessing over who was looking, did they like it, how can I get more followers.
    I don't want that. I want to blog when I have something to say, to document, to share. Not just because it's been more than two days since the last time I posted.
    Thanks for the heads up that there are others who feel the same. :)

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  17. For me, the question was never "Why do you blog." It was "why DON'T you blog?" Like you, I've always loved to write and tell stories. I love the community and being able to connect to people. I hate the popularity contest, feeling like you have to be awesome and cool all of the time, etc. There's good and bad with everything we do. I remember a close friend of mine was debating between two careers and was really torn on what to do. Then he started thinking about dirt worth wearing. Every single job has "dirt." There's going to be something crappy, dirty, and just not fun about it. But is it dirt worth wearing?

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  18. I love your blog, Bonnie... I try to check it out every morning. It's fun to read your youthful, enthusiastic (and sometimes grumpy! LOL!) point of view. I'm a much older blogger, and blog for creative reasons. My blog is to share my creative projects, digital designs and photography, and sometimes my story. Some posts are long and detailed. Some just share an image or two. But it's a slice of life, and I plan on keeping it up for the foreseeable future. I don't have the time or energy to try to turn my blog into a commercial venture, but I think that's awesome that you, and many bloggers do. I do love it when people leave thoughtful comments, and I've only had to delete one or two. People find my blog through some of the most random searches! Love it!

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  19. I love to write . I love to pick up random books and use them as journals. I love fun creative books of goofy, random, but also serious and intriguing prompts. I write because it is how I best express myself. It is the best way that I make sense of myself. I blog because I want to share my stories and I want to be apart of the sharing of others. I blog to connect with people and invest in a community of personal interaction around the world. It is a step of faith to trust those reading and in turn to discover others who are trusting me with the same. The blogging world is an essential part of my life and so many others - we laugh together, cry together, roll our eyes together, connect with each other...we are people living life together. And I love that. This is my first post of yours to read and I think you're fabulous! We are soo friends!

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  20. My blog started out because I was hoping to keep my creative mojo around after it went MIA for too long after a really crummy year. Not only did that idea work, it has helped me realize that cooking had become a new expression of my creativity and oh yeah, I could write! That discovery has led to a whole new career path to explore.

    Blogging can be hard, so I try to look at it as a place to journal my latest projects - which keeps me continuing to make things. Which was my whole point in starting the blog. I fill in with other things (like the story of how I met my husband when I fell off a roof), but my blog will always be my creative space.

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  21. I love that quote! I started blogging as a way to record our lives. 20 years down the road, I want our kids to be able to read these stories, and get a taste of who we were then.

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  22. Love this Bonnie, and I feel the exact same way--I just want to write! Writing my way makes me feel like myself. I am a lawyer so everything I write has to follow certain rules. I just want to put myself out there in my own words. Oddly, during a crazy day, sitting down and writing a little post or rereading my latest blog entry calms me down. It puts my own voice back into my head, if that makes sense!

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  23. Great post! There are times we have to analyze what we do and why we do it. Take eating, for example. We do it mostly out of habit, but we also do it to stop the embarrassing noise our stomachs make. You recognize this while in a checkout line with an absolutely beautiful person in front of you. You're fantasizing about a life shared with them (forgetting you're already married) and all of a sudden, your stomach growls a 15 second monster growl. They look at you with surprise and disgust, destroying your fantasy, dismissing any chance of reviving lost feelings, and embarrassing the hell out of you. So, in essence, we eat to keep our fantasies from being interrupted!
    I write for two reasons: 1) I thoroughly enjoy it, and 2) I try to relieve a person of their problems for a very short period by putting a slight smile on their face. If I succeed, then it has all been worth the effort! Great post!

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  24. I love that quote and think this is a great post. I'm still relatively new to the blogging world and I enjoy many of the same things you do: connecting with people, writing and expressing myself, feeling a part of this big online community. I started blogging for greater accountability on my weight loss journey and found that I love sharing. I'm dreading my first negative comment and things like that. With most things in life, I guess you have to take the good with the bad.

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  25. This is awesome Bonnie. You did such a great job putting my sentiments into words. I totally agree with you... I don't think I will ever love blogging. Truth be told, it makes me want to tear my hair out sometimes. Most of the time haha ;) But I'm with you! Telling stories, and having them help us remember things... the important parts of our lives... is so wonderful! Writing is so wonderful for this exact reason. You are awesome, thank you for this!

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  26. I have had my blog since 2005 and I have blogged up until recently to share with my family or RL friends. I have recently found the whole blogging community and finally I love blogging compared to feeling like I have to blog for family. it's given me a connection and I love making new friends.



    xx
    Bonnie Rose
    The Compass Rose

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  27. i love that you blog! so thankful that you do :)

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  28. This is a great post! I just started blogging, and have had so many people ask me, "why?". This really made me think about the why. I am a new stay at home mom, and my social interaction and creative outlets are at an all time low. I've been reading blogs for a while, and decided that I wanted to be apart of this amazing community. I love your blog!!!

    www.abookwormandababy.blogspot.com

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  29. This post came at the right time for me. I have been in a blogging rut and hiatus and just haven't made time for it. I've been missing it, but wonder too if I love it to commit to mine again. I love all of the positive things about blogging (the list is long :) ) Thanks sooo much for sharing!

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  30. I love that quote so much!! I just might borrow it for my own classroom..at least my small corner next to my desk...although I am struggling with the friends part of blogging right now...I love the few "close" friends I have made, but not liking the drama and the petty-ness/ cattiness of the blog world I have witnessed in my short time here...it's very interesting. But like you I love to tell and read stories...which is why I love to read your blog!!! can't wait til you come out to CA so we can meet!!

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  31. What a great post I have times also when I just don't feel like writing but those times are few and far between.........lol

    There are other times when I am over flowing with ideas to write about....

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  32. I love your quote! I know the feeling though. Sometimes, the blogging community makes me feel like I'm back in high school. You're trying to find your place and as you search for your place, you find yourself evolving as a blogger and as a person. Isn't that what high school was supposed to be about?

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  33. If I say I love blogging, what I'm actually referring to is that I love writing.

    I've totally felt this.

    Great post!

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  34. i love blogging, but i think i already told you that when we met. keep it up, yo.

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  35. Hi! New follower...
    I think I'll call you Bon Bon!
    AAAAmen to the blogger feelings... wading through my own right now...

    Pulling myself back to reality... and into balance this past week...

    I write for me, for my family history, to share what I do, to connect with others... and it's ok that no one knows who I am!!! (that's what I keep telling myself)

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  36. I think I blog just to remember stuff. If I'm not active on my blog, then it means life is boring. Nothing's going on at the moment. Right now, I'm on a bit of a hiatus myself. You would *think* living overseas would be nonstop stories, but you know... the military life can really be dull, especially when it's too cold to get away.
    I'm glad you blog as much as you do. :) And I'm glad that you're so open and genuine (your handicapped parking story is what really hooked me, lol!). I'd much rather read a blog in which the writer uses her real voice rather than a tame, watered down "save-face" follow-me post... which typically seems like a bunch of Pinterest reposts & desperation to be iPopular. Anyway, I'll stop right there before I really start offending people. ;)
    You do good work, and you seem to have fun with it overall. That's what matters at the end of the day, right? Keep it up~!

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  37. I just wrote about this same thing last night. (and again.. I'm not sure how I got here, but I'm happy that I did. It might have been from Sugar & Dots but where my middle-of-the-night tab-opening gets me is often a mystery). I think I blog because I feel like I don't just want to "take" from the internet.. the karma is off unless I'm putting something back in :) I wrote about it here: www.babyfoodscoops.com Maybe I should stop blogging so late at night and I'll make more sense..

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  38. Anonymous3:23 PM

    Whoa. I'm relatively new to blogging. Cliche answer: for my mom that lives states away or his parents that live across the country. Real answer: it allows me to be creative, practice writing (he's a writer) and mostly when I'm bored at work I look back on past adventures and thoughts and feel grateful for my life and those I share it with. I don't carry my journal in my purse and wouldn't carry glue sticks and constantly print and pay for pictures to paste in it. Pictures are just as fun as words to document feelings and moments.

    Can any of us answer this well?

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