Beginnings

I have been an on-and-off blogger for the last 15 years or so. More "off" than "on." I have blogged to be part of a larger community, to share an experience in my life with others, to academically yet informally express thoughts and ideas, and to use as an outlet for something I want to learn more about. Writing and blogging has made me more accountable to something new I have wanted to try or learn more about.

My audience has varied depending on the purpose of the blog. I always had an audience in mind. For this blog, I do not have a particular audience in mind for now. For all I know, very few people will even read this - if anyone does at all. Therefore, for now, I am writing just for me.

Like many people, I have always loved reading. I love how reading fiction can sweep me up into a whole new world where I get to meet all these new people and envision their environment, learn more about the characters and what made them the way they are, and journey along their adventures with them. I love how reading non-fiction always teaches me something about life (as fiction does too, but there is a huge difference between reading fiction and non-fiction!), how it opens my eyes to actual lived experiences and shows me just how brave and courageous some people are, how some people have lived through something that is so incredibly different from my own life experiences.

One thing about blogging is that it is something that I have been thinking about re-starting for a long time. The first thought that would come to mind is how many people are already blogging and how they already have their accomplished audiences... so what do I have to offer when there are so many other folks that are far more experienced than me? What's the point in starting something when it's unlikely that I'll ever get a huge audience of followers like other bloggers or social media personalities?

Did I mention that I am a teacher? My job is to educate, to teach, to inspire, to build kids up, to find their strengths and weaknesses, to figure out a way to best reach them through explanation or play or experience, to determine where the blockages are in their learning so I can release them and watch the lightbulb turn on above their head. That's my job. That is what I am trained for. I'm good at it. I'd even say that I'm great at it. If a student ever told me that they did not want to try something new for the same reasons that I just listed above, I would tell them that is ridiculous. I would tell them that everyone needs to start somewhere. That accomplished bloggers and online personalities started with just one blog post, one video. I'd ask them if they are really looking for a huge audience (by the way, I'm not looking to be a hugely influential blogger here). I'd tell them, "who cares? Aren't you doing this for you?"

So.

With the coronavirus pandemic that has been going on for the last couple of months and has put me in quarantine for the last month, I have been wanting to read more. I have moved a lot in my life and throughout the many moves (that have included crossing provincial borders and a move that existed entirely of shipping my belongings in boxes through the postal system) I have left books behind. A few months ago, I repurchased many of the books that I have given away over the last decade and a half. I have been dying to reread them. I have accumulated stacks of other books - second-hand novels, books through my Raven Reads subscription, and digital stacks on my loaded Kobo and Kindle ereaders.

I want to read. I want to disappear into new worlds, learn new things, meet new people, experience new things, feel all the emotions, stretch my imagination... I want to get back in touch with and become reacquainted with characters that I met years ago and I want to explore their journey through new eyes again.

Maybe if I write about the books I am reading, maybe if I write a book review on each of these books as I (re)read them, then maybe I can at least feel as though I am sharing my experiences with someone else, even if there isn't anyone else reading this blog.