Dear Diary?

"The fear of being laughed at makes cowards of us all."
Mignon McLaughlin

Like any reasonable woman, I am slightly afraid of the Blogosphere. Cyber crimes and wiki-weirdos notwithstanding, it seems so big and dark and scary. It's also seductive and exciting and full of new relationships in a different kind of community than I've ever really known before.

I'm trying to start a blog. I don't know who will read it and I'm not sure how to proceed. I'm more of a print gal. But, I'm just going to dive in and start swimming. I want to write about my community, my family, my friends, perfect strangers, gardens, art, cancer, journalism, faith, fear, food (goodness, I can think of all kinds of stuff.)

Blogging was made for people like me. I have kept a journal my whole life beginning with a denim-covered diary (lock and key provided) simply because I needed to write stuff down.
Some entries I shared. Some were just for me. Is that how I should approach this new-fangled form of expression?

Journals and diaries have carried me through adolescence and teen trauma to marriage, mortgages and being a mama. As I navigate my fifties with the ability to walk and chew gum at the same time, I should have enough fodder to keep Janet's Planet a lively place to orbit for awhile.

Wasn't it Flannery O'Connor who said that anyone who survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of his or her life? Amen to that!

Writing is a courageous act. To share it, even more so. I don't want to be afraid. Anybody out there?