Maniacal self-absorption, loneliness, or somewhere in between? Why blog…

Now that I have your attention. . .

I have resisted blogging in the past for several reasons.  For one, it seemed arrogant.  Do I really think that I am so important that people want to hear my thoughts?  Blogging, I reasoned, is an act of self-absorption. 

On the other hand, I reasoned, blogging seemed fit for those that are just really lonely.  While I do live overseas and have spent my fair share of nights walking the streets of Asia alone or reading on back decks of towering mega-city apartments with nothing but a book and my iPod, I have never envisioned myself as the lonely type.

Then things began to change.  I began to read blogs.  Blogs of friends.  Blogs of experts.  Blogs of gurus.  Blogs of problem solvers of all types.  I began to love these blogs and gained greatly from them, both in knowledge and in enjoyment. 

It is in this vein that I have landed at this blog.  I guess I am self-absorbed enough to hope that someone can gain some level of enjoyment and/or benefit from reading about my life, experiences, successes, and failures.  My life has been made richer and fuller by many others that have shared their lives, experiences, and knowledge in avenues such as blogs.  It is my honest prayer that this site will likewise be a blessing to others. 

I am lonely enough to hope that this blog is a way of connecting with friends, family, and maybe even some that I don’t yet know personally in a meaningful way.  Turning 40 recently, being single, living FAR away from ALL of my family and most of my friends can be a grind.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my life here and feel privileged beyond words to be doing what I am doing and with whom I am doing it.  I have seen the world a few times over, learned much from my friends here in East Asia, and grown in every facet of my life.  Yet with each passing year, the pangs of being away from loved ones, of missing weddings, births, birthdays, and baseball games, seems to only hurt with greater intensity.  It is my prayer that this site and blog can help bridge this gap, though slight it may be.  

Now that I have addressed the “why” I have started this blog, I’ll shift to the “how” this blog will look and general themes in my next post.   The why and the how of this blog is coming in a day or two, and then I’ll actually start writing about real subjects and life.