I blog, therefore I am.
Seriously, it feels that way. These ten minutes of writing are connected to my identity the way football players are defined by the fact that they play football. I am a writer and this is my most present expression of writing, therefore blogging is who I am. I am of course more than ten minutes. This is a pebble in very deep waters, but it is emblematic of what I do. But back to that earlier thought: Is it who I am?
I want to believe no. I am many things. I was once a player of the football, and I defined myself as such through action and behavior and followings. Yet as one professor defined me more as a samurai poet (as I wrote and I played) I allowed for a multi-faceted approach to self. I guess this is less about self and self awareness than it is about external identity. How people see me is a type of definition. I cannot control that definition, but it does in part arrive as a result of what I put out there. So, when I say I blog, therefore I am, that is what I refer to. I didn’t even tell my kids I was an author till they were 10+. I doubt any has read my work or this blog. What they see me as is quite different as a result.
I believe I am a writer to the building blocks of my soul. Regardless of who I tell or what I put out, I want the writing to be how I am remembered.
Some Thoughts:
- If I had it to do all over again, I would have been a better father to all 6. I would have been a better coach to 3. Maybe they’d be further along on their paths. Maybe I would be feeling better about mine.