Do you think about why you blog or keep an online journal, assuming you are one of the many who do?

For me it's part yap therapy (keeping that idea that someone out there is listening to me) and part seeking eternal and very enviable fame. The fame part sounds better, less wimpy than saying I'm lonely or looking for sympathy. Who wants to be seen that way?

But, when you write, if you really write and not just make impersonal notes or detached observations, you have to write with your heart and your soul. The brain can only do so much on it's own. At least that's my theory.

That doesn't make it easy. Exposing your tender bits is never going to be easy. If you didn't care they wouldn't be tender bits. If you stop caring your words will be empty and lifeless, just letters typed on paper.

So, how do you balance exposing yourself with keeping a few shreds of pride and a sense of self? Or can you? I know I've written things at BackWash that I had second thoughts about. One reason I don't go back over my old columns is that I know how hard it would be to resist the temptation to edit them. I don't mean a spell check or grammar type edit.

Anyway, life keeps things interesting. Writing about it all just makes it all that much more public, and interesting for someone else. At least in theory.