Triple Digits!

So, I got kind of tied up in some of the recent blogs. Tied up enough, that is, that I did not even notice reaching a major milestone:

My 100^th blog!

That is an accomplishment of sorts, at least, and it seems that I should acknowledge it in some way. Since this is a blog, what better, more appropriate way, than to actually do so in a blog entry?

It has been a strange way to get there, admittedly. I approached it tentatively, let it lapse, had only a few entries months and months into it, perhaps even the first year, and then just allowed it to blossom and explode with growth after about the first year. Now, it has become a regular part of my writing each day (with a few exceptions here and there, of course), and has afforded me the opportunity to establish the discipline of a daily routine that I have stuck to, for the most part.

Writing is not always easy. When you think about it, in fact, it sounds incredibly, impossibly difficult, in fact. You are creating something out of nothing. Very few things can compare to that. People make things with their hands, things are manufactured. Perhaps some natural resources are dug up from the earth's bowels and then polished and fine tuned, processed and perfected for use. People make other things that do not come naturally. Our lives and homes and garages and workplaces are filled with them. The computer that you are reading his on, and the computer that I am writing this on. The internal wires that carry and communicate this message, quite magically, even. The electricity that it takes is not exactly made by human beings, but the power plants that utilize it certainly are, and we have developed the ability to create energy in new and startlingly efficient ways. I am writing this, and mostly, my writing has come from prior writings, from books and magazines, which are also made, physically (although increasingly, they too are available through that magical kingdom known as the internet, where all of the world's material comforts are available, almost quite literally, at your fingertips. So much that is made or produced. Cars, our homes themselves, the furniture and other household items that fill them. The clothes we wear, the beds we sleep in. The kitchen aids that help us make or refine the foods that we consume. Our wallets, and the money in them (always assuming that there is money in them, of course).

Yes, all of that stuff is made. You can see them, feel them, smell them, even taste them, if you are so inclined. All of these things have been created and, what is more, will continue to be created. They might change, like money nowadays. The American currency looks much different than it did when I was a child, much more colorful. In much of Europe, they now share a common currency, another major shift from the days of my childhood.

Writing is an art, and art can change, too. Art can change because the people making art change. A sculptor might have different pieces that bare little to no resemblance to one another, and perhaps it is hard for anyone to believe that they came from the same sculptor. Ditto for a painter. Ditto for a writer.

The thing about creating something like that is that it really is like a miracle. I mean, you actually are producing something that did not exist before, and would not exist if not for you actually creating it. When it is something in the arts, and hopefully something that you can feel proud of, there really is no higher feeling than that. I have felt it, but not nearly as much as I would like to have felt it. Hopefully, I will feel it more often in the future.

This blog has helped in that facet, though. It has allowed me an outlet where I feel comfortable writing and sharing my thoughts in a forum that can, and has, be viewed by others. I am not exactly a great salesman, and am particularly nervous when it comes to sharing my thoughts. Never assumed that most people would agree with my line of thinking, based on past experience, and I am guessing that I never will. Still, it is nice to write something that may be read by others. Nice to see the beginnings of a body of work in one place.

My own blog, and it is starting to have a bit of history. It is starting to be relatively extensive. One hundred entries, and the vast majority of theme are considerably lengthy, not merely a sentence or short paragraph about things. I have tried to approach it with care, and to really get absorbed in whatever it is that I am writing about. It has been varied, of course, because these are a reflection of my eclectic tastes. I can write about politics or religion, but am comfortable writing about lighter things, like sports or movie reviews, as well. Perhaps an exhibit, or simply some other thoughts.

All the while, I am trying to maintain some writings separate from this blog, of course (that would be the fiction, as well as some other things), it nonetheless feels nice to be able to open something with my name and my writing style attached to it, and see words written by 9who else?), yours truly.  Sure, it's not a book, like I have long dreamed of. It is not even an outside publication, like when I wrote for the school newspaper, or the local paper, the "Neighbor News", many years ago. I am not even really seeing my name attached to it in any direct sense – although I have been meaning to actually add a  biography and "About the Author" section, or whatever it is called on this blog site.

All I am saying is that it is nice to have at least something of an outlet for my particular creativity, which would be writing. To anyone reading this – always assuming someone actually is – I hope you have been enjoying it, and hope also that there will be plenty more for you to enjoy!