Blogging and Blog Following-

As I noted recently, I have been busy. Lots of life changes, most of them for the better. So, not so much blogging. Though I have moments of thought, I have had nothing for Philosophy on Purpose. The weather has been wet, and I have been busy. No barbecue for My Barbecue Adventure. I have simply not been focused on writing, and so no stories for Short Stories by MLockridge.

There has been plenty of Everything Else. Hence, I find my blogging to fall here more than anywhere else. I am anxious to barbecue, especially since my daughter is now in the house and she is a cook and a foodie. We sit and watch cooking shows together, making comments that sound very much like guttural expressions of longing. "I want to go everywhere and eat everything!" I declared the other day. I meant it.

I have tried to keep up on Blogs of Note, but find I am really not equipped to manage following a multitude of blogs. It may simply be my nature. I cannot easily manage a great many friends. I usually only have a few. Blogs are really relationships, in many ways. They are personal expressions more than news stories, and the people behind the blogs I embrace become important to me. I can only handle so many, and then my limited capacity for emotion is overwhelmed.

The days tick away, and my pending retirement inches closer. I look forward to it, but not so much as I would if it was retirement. It is a transition to a next career, and I still don't know what that career might be. I only have vague dreams, none of which are practical. It will still be necessary to bring in some money beyond my pension. I look forward to doing something else, but I still have no idea what something else might be.

My recent travel opportunity has been satisfying, but also serves to whet my appetite for more travel. Interstate 395 beckons, and I really want to answer the call. My son Matthew has an interest in Historic Route 66, and I share that. It would be wonderful to have the resources to follow the Mother Road with him and see all there is to see. A month might be enough.

Family and home responsibilities pull me in a different direction. There are many needs and little money or time for wandering across the face of the earth. Always the trading of one thing for another. Trading time for money to buy things for my family. Things I could easily do without, but I cannot demand austerity on their part to match my tastes and vague dreams. I am content with few possessions and much freedom, but I know that family has needs that are at odds with such a way of living.

I am happy with my blogs. I am pleased with the blogs I follow. I am excited by the prospect of exploring my world, even though I must often wait long between journeys. Through the blogs of my traveling friends I can experience the world. I am content with my family, and my sacrifices for them are worth while.

If I may not always travel and taste the world, I can bring the taste of the world home by exploring foods in my own kitchen. This is an adventure I can share with my family, even at home.

Perhaps this should be my new focus. That which I seek I can bring home in some form, and share with my family.

Insight!