Monday, May 2, 2011

state of the blog address

Thank you for reading my thoughts. A couple of weeks ago my blog hit 1,000 pageviews. And unless my Mom and Grandma are hitting the refresh button alot, that means more people are reading than just them. It means more than you will know that not only are you reading, but a number of you are responding. When I first started writing in this I didn't know what it would look like, but I am glad that it has turned into some more "real" contact between you and I. Keep sharing your thoughts with me as I am with you, and if you do it in a blog shoot me the address and I'll follow along.

Besides thanking you I also wanted to clarify the purpose of why I'm doing this. When I tell people that I am writing in a blog the typical response is "why?" And that why carries with it the thought "that's super-lame that he's doing that. Doesn't he have anything better to do with his time?" And to answer that question: it could be a little lame, and no I really don't. Besides work and studying for the GRE my time is blissfully empty. Let me try to pursuade you that it isn't super-lame. Though I'm assuming that if you're reading this you don't think that.

The first reason why I spend my time writing in this blog is that it acts as a "have to do" part of my life. Besides work there isn't much that I absolutely have to do intellectually. I spent four years in college writing papers, taking tests, and working with groups. And now I find myself not doing any of those things. So Rob suggested that I start writing in a blog to keep my mind turning over and I took him up on that. These "papers" aren't so much a public forum as a personal outlet for my sometimes disorganized thoughts. The fact that people get to read them just keeps me accountable to continue to write them.

The second reason I write in this blog is related to one of my favorite quotes by one of my favorite authors:

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one." - C.S. Lewis

I firmly believe that while we are all special and unique like little snowflakes. But we also have a whole lot in common with each other. So the second reason I write in this blog is to share my thoughts with you and see if they stick because that's what you've been thinking. The main reason why I said that I was afraid to go bald was because it is a crazy thought. But everyone has those crazy thoughts. I don't for one minute think that I'm special enough to be the only person in the whole world to think things that are downright silly. Being afraid that I'll never get a date because I'm getting bald is downright silly. But you might be thinking the same thing, or you might be thinking that no one will ever understand your love for a certain type of pens. Or the fact that you sleep with a teddy bear even though you're a 24 year old. Or that you enjoy making pies but don't really like them. Or that all you want to be when you grow up is content (and able to travel with people you love).

So the main reason I write in this blog is because I hope that by doing so you won't feel like you're alone. The first night I came to Nashville after graduation and Brookwoods was the single saddest night of my life, because while I was surrounded by people I felt more incredibly alone than ever. And if I can help any one person while they are going through that, I want to.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to your responses.

Luke
luketlancaster@gmail.com

2 comments:

  1. I love reading every word you write, it's like getting to know you even more.

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  2. I'm a faithful blog stalker Luke, but I'd much rather you consider me a friend. I'm glad you write here. It almost feels like the old days having a cup of coffee with you and finding out about your current ponderings. Instead, I sit a couple cities away and drink my coffee alone with a sleeping dog and think how lucky I am that I got to know you years ago and can pretend that I still do.

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