Housekeeping

The 'Daks

It's been almost six months since I wrote anything here. Life has been eventful enough, particularly on the running front that I usually write about. It's taken a long time to gain some perspective on Western States and everything that came after it. Maybe this post will help me sort out some of my thoughts on continuing to maintain the blog.

To begin with, I've been struggling with the idea of social media in general. Much of what I see online makes me uncomfortable; the hashtags, the popularity contests, the sham of psychological supermodels. At the same time, a cynical sanctimonious grouch is just as insufferable as the selfie-stick-wielding attention seeker. So I've leaned toward staying silent altogether. It's been well over a year since I gave my Facebook account the heave-ho and I don't miss it. The likes, the kudos, the favorites; they all feel good in the short term but there's something hollow about it all. You become dependent on things that might not be in your best interest. Surely there's a balance to had but I know I don't want to be anywhere near oversharing and I'd rather remove myself from a situation than tell other people what they should or shouldn't do.

Maybe the blog will survive. Not for the sake of comments and  page view statistics but because writing should be a form of self expression for me - a way to organize my thoughts and cement experiences in my memory. I've always liked to write, I just don't feel very good at it which largely comes from a lack of regular practice. Re-reading an old entry after a few months can makes me wonder how I could be so clumsy with a keyboard, how I could articulate my intended points so poorly and without flow. Writing publicly, however, should help keep me honest and wanting to improve. I suspect a private diary would be easier to half-ass and lose interest in.

This isn't just about me though, it's also about you. I know I love to read about other people's adventures. To live vicariously through them and to bookmark their reports for later reference. I have a whole folder called "Destinations" that's filled pictures and reports all over the world. Occasionally, I get the opportunity to see them for myself. So, in that regard, there's some wider benefit to sharing.

We'll see.