I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.

I want to tell you what blogging has meant to me and what it has done for me.
More than anything else it is a community.  I never, ever imagined that there were so many people out there who liked the same kind of things and who were as design and color and detail oriented as I am. We really, truly speak the same language.
I work at home, alone. Many of us do.  Through blogging I have come to feel part of
a large community. I have made so many new and wonderful friends from all over the world. Occasionally I get to meet a new friend, in person, and I have yet to be disappointed. That moment of face to face meeting never fails to exceed my expectations. These are women to whom I feel a very deep connection.I know other bloggers out there who are reading this feel just the same way. We read and comment on each other’s blogs. Then we may take it a step further: we begin a dialogue through email. We become friends.

Along the way we discover we have this shared passion.

I have blogger friends who have helped me in so many ways; I would love to name each and every one of you but the list would be too long.  My “blogroll” over there on the right contains some of my new friends’ names and blogs. That list is dynamic: I’m always adding more as I make new friends and discover blogs that teach me, that inspire me and that connect me to the blog community and beyond.

What is it that happens when you blog? How is a post created you may wonder. From where do we all get our inspiration? It’s different for everyone, naturally. I am always on the lookout for new “whatevers”: products, ideas, people, ways of using color, details of any kind, something quirky and unusual. I read other blogs voraciously, I follow links right and left, I use Evernote, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter, and I have Google alerts coming into my email. I am fascinated by it all.

How do I narrow it all down and decide what to talk/blog about? I have certain subjects I love to show and talk about: flowers and gardening are an all time favorite as are my house, travel, and new products, to name a few. Sometimes I will have a marathon post-writing-day and do maybe three or four posts. It all takes time:  the research, looking up the links for visuals, and putting it all together. But there are also other weeks where it’s tough going and nothing seems right; when there is no new news (or so it seems), or I am busy or I am tired.

But the most important part of blogging is the connection.
For all of you reading this who are bloggers: you know just what I mean. And for all others I simply want to say: blogging is the best use of my time that I can think of!