24 is Sometimes Not Enough, or Why I Try to Blog

By 24, I don't mean my age. In fact, I turn 39 very soon, and I wouldn't go back to 24 unless I could know what I know now (kind of like the old song...). No, I'm talking hours. I'm struggling to find the time to do everything on my list. I need to get the swamp cooler ready for its hibernation--first frost is imminent. The rental house chimney needs a screen (a bird flew down the other day). The truck fan is on the fritz, and both it and the car need oil changes. On top of that list are other commitments, such as the family, eating food and drinking water, exercise, my chemistry day job and my side occupation as piano teacher and musician, and the "honey do" list (I just finished my wife's big work table, which I'll be posting about later, but I also have some book shelves and a vanity to finish for my daughter). The yarn store sold out of fishing flies, so I'm falling asleep at the tying vise most nights trying to fill orders. I don't know if I want more that 24 hours in a day, though, because I'd fill those up, too. There's always a new idea brewing, like the open mic night I'd like to start and the acoustic jam session and the piano group and the "manly" Christmas stockings I'd like to sell this year.

7 boxes down, 3 more to go. Then on to the grasshopper mimics, and the "flies I like best" mix. Like I said, there's always a new idea brewing.

So, given all that, the first thing to slip off my priority list was this blog. I like to keep it up, if for no other reason than it gives me a good chronicle of my thoughts and accomplishments. At any given time, I probably have about 4 blog posts that I'm working on (right now that number is up to 7). Some require research. Some require pictures. But there's always a bottleneck. I have great respect (and a bit of jealousy) for the folks who can work full-time and maintain their weekly (or more often!) blog posts. Shannon Hayes (weekly) and Ben Hewitt (more often) come to mind, as they are both farmers/radical homemakers. But they make a regular effort. Good writers have all said that honing the craft requires daily practice. That's true of every other craft or art or practice, too, I suppose. Music definitely falls into that category!

I've dabbled in writing off and on throughout my adult life, but the blog has led to my most regular and prolific output. The biggest upside to writing in this format is that the data is stored online, somewhere else, and I don't have to pack my laptop (or even a thumb drive) around with me to be productive. I just need a computer I can log into. Another benefit is that I can write about whatever I want to write about and post it here. That would probably change as soon as I sought to monetize the blog and expand my audience, but for now, I am content to have it be free and easy for all of us. I like the purely democratic nature of the internet, and, since I do other things to make my living, I want to keep my blog open-ended. Hopefully, if you are reading this, you think that I have had something interesting or even useful to say. I have a lot of interests, and I'm hoping that something on my blog appeals to someone else, too (you?). That someone else can forward it on to another person, and we can all share some piece of life together. I marvel at our connectedness.

Thanks for reading!