The View from Where I'm Standing

I've been debating on becoming a blogger for a long time. I love to read the blogs of my friends and have had the urge blog, too, but I was nervous. What if people didn't like what I had to say? Do I really want everyone to know what I think? I love to write, but I'm not as good a writer as Mara. I love to take pictures, but I'm not a photographer like Kirsten or designer like Ann. What if my blog was blah?

Then, one day, I was trolling the blogs of my friends, and came across a poem (thanks Kirsten!), the last line of which says "As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

In High School there was a girl I admired. From my perspective, she was pretty much perfect: beautiful, talented, popular and self-assured. I was intimidated for 2 years before I forged a friendship that, to my surprise, didn't make me feel more insecure, but more self confident. It liberated me.

So, maybe I don't have an exciting travel log of life in a foreign land. And, maybe I don't live across the country, making a blog a fun way to connect with family back home. But, this is a place where I can chronicle my view, from where I'm standing...my place in the world, my time of life, my relation to those around me.

And, hopefully, facing my fear of blog-o-sphere criticism will be liberating!