Why for me, blogging isn’t a waste of time

The one thing I know about time is that it goes by. Some days drag on for an eternity, while others don’t possibly contain enough hours. We are always coming or going and planning out our next adventure but we don’t always stop to enjoy the scenery along the way.

I haven’t blogged (at least not here) in 2 months. A harsh reality that was brought to my attention this morning by friend, co-worker, blogger and recent mom Pattie Reeves. She has time to blog, so why don’t I?

The truth is, that I do have time. However I have suffered from what I thought was a case of writer’s block. But the more I think about it, writer’s block was never the problem. I’ve had plenty to write about and started a few posts that I never finished. The reason for that is that I felt the topics were not monumental enough for good blog posts.

Part of that came from working in news-media and constantly thinking about site traffic and audience. The other part from thinking the day-to-day stuff is not what people want to read.

With my blog, like in life, I was looking forward to or planning the next big thing.

I haven’t stopped to smell the proverbial roses enough on this journey of parenthood. When I think about it, there have been plenty of things that I could have written about these past few weeks.

  • I could spend a great deal of time talking about my son’s first (and second) swear word and how fun that has been.
  • I could talk about that magical day last week when he sneezed on my shirt, thew up on my pants and pooped in the tub.
  • I could talk about how his new favorite activity is terrorizing the dogs.
  • I can probably go on and on about the pointlessness of arguing with a 2-year old.
  • I could tell you how bad I felt after I tickled him so much that he threw up all over me.
  • I can talk about his other favorite activity: running away from daddy.

All of these little life struggles are worthy of talking about and recording for posterity because they are all slices my life. Parents can relate to many of these stories and/or are living them as we speak. And though at times these things can be stressful, when I look back they often bring a smile to my face.

I don’t do a good job preserving memories. I don’t organize photo collections well. I haven’t written anything in my son’s baby book. I forget dates. I throw things away, and I forget a lot of the day-to-day routine stuff.

So I blog. Not just for you, but for me. So that as we share in the trials and tribulations of parenting, there is a record for me to look back at and reflect upon. For instance:

  • How my two and a half year old son and I have hilarious, adult conversations.
  • How he remembers things I have promised him from one day to the next so now I have to be careful what I say.
  • I can remember his little face, and how happy he gets when I come home from work each day.
  • I can post the short stories about how he makes me laugh.
  • I can go on about when we sing silly songs and laugh like crazies at the top of our lungs.

Blogging (at least in the way that I do it) isn’t for professional advancement, profit, or to teach anything particularly useful. More than anything else it is how I choose to keep the memories I create each day with my family; in my own special way. Because if I don’t slow down a bit and enjoy these moments now, I may miss some of the best times life has to offer.

Apple picking, ages 0,1 and 2

Apple picking, ages 0,1 and 2

 

Pat Lemieux

About Pat Lemieux

Pat has it all, family, big old house, dogs, a young son and a quarter-life crisis. He blogs about trying to be who he has always been and be who he now needs to be. He enjoys 90's grunge metal, tasty local brews and the outdoors.