My Blog Experience: I Never Expected This

photo credit: nunorodrigues.net via photo pin cc

I think technology is fun. Obviously. That’s why I write this blog.

But this blogging experience has morphed into something else, for me. It’s a connection.

Let me back up a bit. We are all aware that the internet has made the world such a smaller place. But I lived most of my life without the internet. (I know, I’m old :). )

photo credit: ~Brenda-Starr~ via photo pin cc

I remember clearly the days that “Europe” was a strange and distant land. My grandparents had emigrated to the US from a small village in the Black Forest. As a child, to me the Black Forest was the place of Hansel and Gretel, wicked witches, and deep dark dangerous forests. Any relatives who lived there were too far away to “know”. Phone communication was prohibitively expensive. Letters were written on paper-thin blue tissue paper and sent off with very little information shared in the tiny space allowed. You couldn’t even include a photograph in those thin little blue envelopes.

But today we can communicate instantly with everyone around the world. My daughters-in-law both have family in distant countries, and they have a completely different experience than I did. They can communicate as easily as if they lived in the same neighborhood, sharing stories, photographs, videos and live chats. When translation is needed, that’s available, too. It’s all just plain wonderful.

photo credit: rogiro via photo pin cc

I love to travel. I have been fortunate to visit a fair number of countries (with a few more on the agenda for next year! yay!) but to me it’s never enough. If money was no object, I’d be everywhere. Because that is where I want to be. To see the old castles, historic places, to experience new foods and flavors, to witness life go on in the human way …the same, yet different.

To my complete surprise and delight, in its own way, blogging “takes me there.” It has morphed into an international experience.

When I started this blog, I hoped some people would read it. But I never gave a thought to who these people would be. I am stunned at the international-ness of the blogging community. The stats show us the visits by country, astounding enough, but it’s the interactions that are special.

I am so honored to be following and be followed by bloggers not only throughout the US, but also in Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia, England, Pakistan, Canada and South Africa.

I am grateful (every day) to be touched by these stranger-friends from around the world, and I will never take this for granted.

Am I the only one blown away by this miraculous connection to everywhere?

BTW … Hansel and Gretel could have used a smart phone 🙂 .