Today’s Guest Poster is Mandy (aka Small Town Girl). She’s one of those bloggers that is on my “must meet,” list so if you aren’t reading her blog, you better get to it! 

When I began blogging  a few years ago, like many of us, I had no real idea what blogging actually was or what it meant to be a blogger. At first, it was simply a vehicle to read and comment on other people’s posts. After a few months of doing that, I decided to take the plunge — I wanted to be a blogger too.  My first few posts were mundane and monotonous. This is what I did today, this is what I am going to do tomorrow. They lacked creativity and my actual thoughts. I stopped and started a few times before really giving this whole blogging thing a go. I’m happy to say that I’ve found my stride(or at least I hope I have).

Today as I was thinking of what to write for this guest post, I found myself thinking of everything my blog has done for me. Crazy as it sounds, its more than one might think. 

My blog has given me a voice. I have spent most of my life in a small town. While I do adore my small town life, the downside of that is the small town mentality. I have always been far more liberal and open minded than many of my friends. I’ve always been the girl who had far fetched big city ideas, even as a youngster in grade school.  By blogging I was able to put my thoughts and ideas into words. Words that many of you read on a weekly basis, without judgment or criticism. I’ve never considered myself very articulate or well spoken. Writing has always been my medium.   Writing my blog allows me to think more clearly, feel more deeply, and over all make more sense of my life.  I really feel like my blog is a direct extension of who I am.

My blog has also allowed me to meet some incredible people. Though blogging I have been introduced to people who share similar thoughts, hopes, and desires. People who are vastly different from myself, but people with whom I share a great connection that goes beyond just reading words on a screen. I’ve met people who I am honored to call my friend. People who I commiserate with via text message when things go wrong and call when things go right. People I have had the opportunity to meet in real life and people who are on my list to visit on a roadtrip.  People one would think I have nothing in common with but are more similar than any of us first realized.

Blogging is a community. One that I had no idea even existed when I first started writing. We all travel in the same online circles. If we don’t read someone chances are pretty good we’ve seen their name in the comments section of another blog or linked on someone elses. Its sort of like being at a big party and knowing of someone but not actually knowing them. Blogging has made me realize that the world is smaller than I think. I have blogging friends that span the US and a few other countries. I’m pretty sure that if I ever decided to pick a random city, I could find at least a few other bloggers to hang out and have coffee with. The blogging community is one of the greatest I belong too. They are encouraging, uplifiting, and supportive. They have challenged me to think thoughts I wouldn’t have, pushed my boundaries beyond what I would have, shared my sorrows when things didn’t work out, and virtually high fived me when I did something I wasn’t sure I could.

Blogging has definitely made my life better and I honestly can’t imagine my life without it.

So tell me, what has blogging done for you?