Lifeline - On Blogging (3)

Just got off the phone with the wife of a friend who has a new diagnosis of prostate cancer. The friend has not told his children and friends and so his wife has no one to talk with about their struggles to choose the most appropriate treatment. Except, he did tell me. And so when, this evening, she felt as if she really needed to talk to someone, she sent me an email and I grabbed the phone immediately I got it. And we talked for an hour and a half and at the end of the conversation she said to me that she really relied on women to talk to, when she needed support.

This made me think again about why I started this blog. It's a place where I can talk about what is interesting me or bothering me at the time I fire up the computer. And after I started reading some of the other blogs, I believe it is a place where I am talking to my fellow women as friends. It is a terrific relief to have this outlet; over the past few weeks I am not sure I could have maintained my equilibrium without it, even if what went up on the post was a rant about pink frills or intransitive verbs.

But when I sit down and try to order my thoughts and write something, my mind seems to focus and when I finish, I feel as if I have accomplished something, however minor, of my own. Also, reading some of the really excellent essays and photo essays and humourous anecdotes that pervade the mommyblogs is as good as a new book by a favourite author, accompanied by a large bar of chocolate and an evening free of the need to do anything else but consume both of them.

Thanks, all of you out there.