Post the five-hundredth

Well there you go. This is the five-hundredth post. There are six thousand comments in all as I type. As for spam, 9,384  have been caught by my spam filter. That’s a lot of words. Mine and others. Some of the words are better than others. Without doubt.

While you are reading this I am off at work. Doing the other thing I do. The other me. Well one of me anyway. Then again you could be reading this while I am home, cooking a meal, nagging about homework, or faffing on twitter. Perhaps I am drinking gin. What would a 500th post be without gin?

So here I am at post five hundred. Here we are. Some of you have been here from the start. Others have come and gone along the way.

What I’m about to say is not startling. No revolutionary statements. But true nonetheless.

Blogging has given me voice. Granted I had one before, sometimes though it got lost. This little pocket of the internet gave me the nudge I needed to speak my words. More than that it gave me friends and a community. Ah, those old clichéd chestnuts.

Clichéd yes, but true all the same. Through this blog I found friends living just down the road. People I can call on, drop in on, lean on. People who I know can do the same to me. It also gave me friends across the country. People who when we meet natter like old friends. People who get the need to write things out, and over share on the odd occasion. People who don’t think it odd to take photos of inane objects, or to tweet while out and about.

Some days words have tumbled out. Spilt across the page mixed with hot heavy tears. I have asked for help, sought out comfort. Offered thoughts to those in need. I have met people I would not have otherwise.

I have learnt to rage quietly. Use words with caution and economy. I carry my heart on my sleeve. But some days I wrap it tightly and keep it quiet. Not everything is for public consumption. Not all stories are mine alone for the telling. There are days when subtext is more present than text. Days when words sit heavy and will not out. Days when self doubt slithers. This blog gave me back my running legs. Gave me words and a will to write. Taught me that sometimes the best thing is to say nothing at all.

And because this is my 500th post, I am going to keep it at five hundred words. I will drink my celebratory gin. Raise my glass and think of where I have been and where I am going. I will thank my little blog for the connections and friendships, the laughter and tears. I will end with a song. As is my wont. And then, when tomorrow comes I will post again. Because that, after all is what it’s all about.

Tags: blogging, community