Doogie Said It Best

"I am so putting this on my blog!"

I was sitting on the couch watching TV when a commercial came on about the new show "How I Met Your Mother." Neil Patrick Harris, a.k.a. Doogie Howser, M.D., says the above quote in the commercial. I.love.it. Doesn't this quote capture blogging perfectly? Haven't we all had those moments?

Blogging has become such a part of our culture. I read in a recent People that bloggers have been getting fired for writing about their work on their blog. Word to the wise: don't post anything you wouldn't want your boss to stumble across! Gossiping about co-workers, disclosing company policy and posting questionable photographs have all gotten people fired. Yikes.

People ask me if I plan my posts ahead of time, or if I just sit down and start to write. It's really a combination of the two. Sometimes something happens and I get a "Doogie moment." Other times, I look at the blank screen on my computer and just start typing away. Words just start flowing, sometimes about nothing. My posts are often Seinfeld-esque, taking little idiosyncracies from everyday life and writing about them. Posts that are something about nothing. Other times, it's something very personal and important to me.

Why do I do this? Simple. I love to write. I love to put into words how I'm feeling or what I'm thinking about. Whether I am upset and I need it for therapeutic purposes or I want to share something funny, I am excited to post and share it with all of you. It's proven to be a wonderful outlet of expression.

Some of you are my friends and family, others are friends of friends and others are my Blogland friends. I am amazed at the closeness Blogland friends come to share. We read about what's going on in each other's lives and share joys and sorrows. You all keep up with me better than some of my friends, simply because you know what's going on in my world daily. I check your blog to see if you got that job or how your trip went. It's amazing how you can feel like you know someone just from reading their words.

Among my Blogland friends are teachers and nurses and ex-strippers and even someone fighting daily for his life. And I've learned more than I ever would've thought from each one of them. The bottom line is: these are all people. They have families and friends, and I feel privileged they let me inside of their lives. I take something from everyone. I just hope I'm giving a little back.

It has been an unexpected joy to stumble across blogging. Personally and creatively, it has given me much more than I ever expected. Because of this, I am getting ready to email my very first column to my editor. A week from tomorrow, I'll see it in print. This is a milestone for me, an accomplishment checked off a list.

When Doogie said, "I am so putting this on my blog!", I knew exactly what he meant. And then and there I decided to blog about blogging.

So here's my little homage to what so many of us enjoy doing. Here's to lives shared, joys multiplied and internet *hugs* for sorrows. Here's to all of you.