To begin at the beginning

For some mysterious reason, I suddenly find myself wanting to start a blog and write in it. Who knows, I may (may!) even learn to take and load photos. Granted, this would leave the realm of the mysterious and enter that of the miraculous, but I do after all believe in both those realms. And a new photo-taking-and-loading skill would no doubt make my faraway family and friends very happy, so the idea is officially simmering...

But why a blog, and why now?
The immediate impetus comes from writing status updates on facebook the last two nights and realizing I was very much enjoying the process of thinking and writing, but really needed more space! I love words and ideas - and who doesn't love talking about themselves and their opinions?! (well, some people don't, but I am not one of them) - but was still mildly surprised by the feeling that I had something I wanted to say beyond "We had pizza for supper" (which we did: wheat crust from Shop 'n' Save; organic pizza sauce with full fat mozzarella and applewood smoked bacon on one half; sundried tomato pesto with sliced vine tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, sea salt and fresh basil on the other). Or perhaps what is a little surprising is not exactly that I have something to say, but that I want to say it in a forum that others might just read. My school report cards from Reception (aka Kindergarten over here in my new home) all the way to Sixth Form (i.e. Senior High) attest to the fact that words have always flowed easily on my tongue, though not always in an appropriate or beneficial fashion! But what has not come easily to me is the assurance that what I have to say is actually worth saying (and - let's be honest - it often hasn't been!). So perhaps that assurance has grown over the years. Or perhaps the love for expressing myself in words is finally too strong to be overwhelmed by my very British reticence and sense of what is proper. Or perhaps, now that the academic term is well behind me, I simply have too much time on my hands? (Not!)

Though the rhyme and reason of the choice and the timing may remain a mystery, I do know that I am happy to be beginning at this beginning, and am looking forward to having a place to ponder things I might not otherwise dwell on, to play with words I might otherwise leave in the chest, and maybe to connect and dialogue with others in a new way.