I wasn't sure how I felt about the comment, but it certainly got my attention.
"Love your blog," the man said.
I immediately responded by saying, "Hey, thanks so much!"
On second thought, I was a little taken aback. I had no idea who the man was. I had never seen him before. I didn't even know his name.
I thought back to a year of blogs and I realized that this stranger knew pretty much everything about my life - and I had no idea who he was.
It was one of those moments when I wondered if maybe I should be writing under a pen name.
I'll have to admit it: I still have mixed feelings about this blogging thing. While I love the writing, and while I love the fact that people are reading what I'm writing, it still gives me pause to write so openly about things that are so personal. I can see exactly who subscribes to the blog. Beyond that list, however, I have no idea who might be reading my words. That's fine, of course, when you're writing about recipes and sports and politics. But it's a little different when you're writing about your life.
It took a lot for Molly to convince me to start blogging almost a year ago now. What scared me most was the openness of the whole enterprise. I've always been comfortable with privacy, and it's impossible to write blogs and somehow still be private. On the one hand, I love sharing what's on my heart. On the other hand, I forget sometimes that people are actually reading these thoughts that really are in the deepest places of my heart. About once a week, I make the decision to call it quits - after I write just one more blog. And then, somehow, another few weeks go by and I discover that I've kept writing that whole time.
I'll reach the first anniversary for the blog in a couple of weeks. At this point, it looks like the total views for the blog for the first year will be over 60,000. That's not 60,000 different people, of course - but a total of 60,000 views. I have no idea what to make of that, though I'm gratified that somebody is bothering to read what I'm writing. In all honesty, I'd feel better if I knew who all those people were - but that's not possible once something is put on the internet.
Though I often write about intensely personal things, there are so many things that I dare not talk about. I suspect that most people would understand the reasons for that.
I read a book one time written by a pastor who had retired. Finally, late in his life, he felt that it was safe to write about all the strange and unusual things that had happened in his ministry. After reading his book, I always imagined doing that same thing. Now, however, I'm quite certain that no length of time would be enough to make that kind of book wise. So instead of planning for a book like that in the future, I think I'll just admit that some stories will probably never be told.
But that's okay. The stories that are being told are probably enough. At the very least, they are enough for me.
Bottom line: I was thrilled when the man said he loved my blog.
I just wish I knew who he was.