Unexpected benefits of blogging

Why blog? For me, the reasons are many: to improve my writing, to create an effective online presence, to learn more about technology, to add structure to my life. And the list goes on.

Blogging is also about connecting with others. This came true for me in a very special way recently when I reconnected with a dear friend that I hadn’t seen for over 30 years. Ginny and I were the type of friends that didn’t see each other that often since we lived about 30 miles away from each other and only got together when our parents got together. But, when we did meet, we would pick up as though we had seen each other yesterday.

My friend said she had been thinking of me and wondered what I was doing. A quick Google search on her end brought her to my blog. She contacted me via my blog and the rest is history. We spoke on the phone last week and it was as though time hadn’t passed. She and her partner, Tim, own Morningstar Inn, a Bed and Breakfast in Bethelem, PA. My husband and I will be visiting her in September and I can’t wait.

After I got off the phone with her, I quickly called my Mom to tell her the exciting news. She doesn’t quite understand what blogging is all about; she calls it “blabbering.” I think she now gets that it can foster connections.

Have you had any unexpected results from blogging? If so, what were they?

P.S. I chose this photo because it reminded me of the fun Ginny and I had swimming in her pool.

Friends photo is courtesy of Tobym’s Flickr Photostream, under Creative Commons Licensing.