The Dedication

May 11th of last year is when I began this blog with an entry titled Navel Gazing. I think I’ve held to that title well. I wasn’t sure about how often I would write or what the post’s length and content would be. Starting out I tried to write every day. I had some good topics too but most of the entries are pretty short. I finally settled into posting once a week. I can spend the week considering my topic and then get up Monday morning and write it out.

I have advised other writers this: Just like dance like nobody’s watching and sing like nobody’s listening, that a writer should write like nobody’s reading. I have heard compelling arguments to the contrary, but for most of my life I try to convince myself that I don’t give a rat’s sphincter about what other people think of me. And that’s pretty wrong too.

When I was growing up at my most socially awkward I made deliberate attempts to set myself apart and even be dislikeable. I wore two watches on the same wrist so I would be the weird kid. I played baseball left handed so I couldn’t throw well. But it wasn’t that I didn’t care. I was attempting to take a little control over what people thought. If others didn’t like me and if I hit the back of my head with a baseball once when I threw it then it was because of something I did not anyone else. I was in control of what other people thought.

Early in college I scoffed at young men my age who were fashionable. I kept myself disheveled and thought that it was putting the image that I didn’t care what other people thought. If I really didn’t care I would have worn Birkenstocks® instead of engineer boots.

And if I really didn’t care what anyone thought of my writing then I wouldn’t post it here on blogger and link it to facebook. I would get up and write and then save it to a disc and then go about my day in satisfaction. But I post it and link it and then go about my day wondering if anyone read it. The bare truth is I really care that other people read this. I’m able to track pageviews for this and when I see them I’m just a little bit thrilled.

So if you are reading this, thanks. Over the year I have written about family members, old friends and a few topical issues. I wrote a lot about my past too. I wrote about my past on this post just to set up this point. Thank you for clicking on the link and taking time out of your day to see what I’ve written about. Today it’s you, the reader. Over the past year your reading has encouraged me. You, the reader are important to me. Thank you.