To Blog or Not to Blog that is the Question!

(Disclaimer ~ This first post is a bit lengthy for history purposes.  I do not plan, nor do I have the time to post long posts in the future.)

I come from a family of fairly technically savvy people.  Growing up my family had several computers in the house, long before most families had a home computer.  We also usually had the latest gaming systems.  I’m dating myself but I’m pretty sure we had the first Atari gaming system.  My brother is basically self taught and has managed to make a lucrative career from his humble beginnings of playing hours of computer games, always upgrading his system by pilfering and plundering my father’s usually better computer.  I married a mechanical engineer turned IT guy.  At one point he had his own software company and he is now a Senior IT Director for a major corporation.  I was on the internet and e-mail well before people knew what the internet was and AOL was about the only e-mail system around (wish I’d bought that stock!).  I have done my fair share of desk-top publishing and I know my way around a computer pretty well.  What I don’t know I can usually figure out or get instruction from my hubby, father, brothers or son.

When Classmates.com, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and Blogging started popping up I really didn’t pay close attention.  I mean really, I’m so busy that I barely have time to keep up with my 50 e-mail’s (mostly spam, I’m not that popular) a day!  I joined Facebook before I truly knew what it was.  When an old classmate from high school who never spoke to me in high school wanted me to be their friend I thought “What in the heck is this?!”.  I quickly tried to cancel my account, when I found I couldn’t really ever cancel it I sort of freaked out.

The little I knew about blogging I learned from my mother.  We have a mutual acquaintance that had a blog; my mom shared it with me and from what I could tell it was simply an on-line diary that the whole world could read.  Frankly I didn’t get it!  And, when I found out about Twitter I got that even less.  Especially after I read about a woman who tweeted throughout her entire labor up until she pushed the baby out!!  Now I’ve had five children, while most of them were c-sections, I did have active labor with four and one traditional birth.  There is NO WAY I would have tweeted while I was in labor!!!  I could barely breathe let alone tweet!

I hate to admit it but I feel like I’ve turned into someone from an older generation, an antiquated, old fashioned, stubborn woman who refuses to keep up with the times!  I just don’t get it and don’t feel like I have the time to get it!  While it is my hubby’s job to be up to date or at least have employees who are up to date on all the latest social media etc., he really isn't into all of it either.  So, when several of my friends and family suggested I start a blog I thought they were out of their minds!

I must admit I have thought about and have wanted to write a book for years!  I have one friend in particular that no matter what I say, even if I’m not trying to be funny, insists that I “Crack her up!”  Often when I’m recounting an experience or telling a story to others they laugh, even though I’m not really trying to be funny.  I enjoy writing and even public speaking, so when I read the Strengths Finder 2.0 book, took the assessment and found out that communication was my number one strength it wasn’t really a surprise.  It was more of a validation that my desire was in fact one of my personal strengths.

People continued to encourage me to write a blog, I continued to resist, then I came across two blogs (http://www.aholyexperience.com/ and http://ourmothersdaughters.blogspot.com/ ) that changed my entire attitude about blogs.  Being an unorganized, discombobulated stay-at-home wife, mother, homeschooler, small business owner and not to mention SHE (sidetracked home executive) I have just about ZERO time to read anything let alone a blog.  Honestly, if I can’t read it in the bathroom it doesn’t get read!  And even that gets interrupted by some household member or family pet!  Seriously, when my ear touches the telephone receiver or my rear-end hits the toilet seat it is then that I am in the highest demand!  On a rare occasion I will take a few minutes to read a post from one of the above mentioned blogs.  When I do, I’m usually moved or affirmed or the words just speak to my heart and I am changed or reminded things are OK and life is good.

I had been thinking of starting a blog for about a year now, but I got hung up on the name.  I really wanted something like Proverbs 31 Woman but that was taken.  Then I started thinking about it and thought I’m no where near the Proverbs 31 woman!  So I thought I would use Proverbs 31 Woman Wanna Be, but I wasn’t completely convinced that that was the right title either.  As a result, I just kind of sat on the idea that one day I might have a blog when or if the right name came to me.

The last seven months have been challenging to say the least.  Growing up I remember my mother often quoting Robert W. Service, “It isn't the mountain ahead that wears you out; it's the grain of sand in your shoe.”  Well as of right now I have two full shoes that need empting!  In June during a VERY busy VBS week I made the comment that I am at my wit’s end, that’s when it came to me!  The title of my blog would be At Wit’s End!  As I started the process of setting up the blog the URL at “wits end” was taken so I began to play around and asked my older kids opinion and came up with the current title which in my opinion really sums up my life!

GoEnglish.com states When you have been thinking about a problem, and you are not able to come up with a good answer, you are at wit's end.  As I read that at first I thought maybe the title isn’t right, because I had thought at wit's end was more a state of confusion, delirium and mess.  But then I let the words settle in and ruminate in my heart and soul and I realized it really is the perfect name because in my broken human state I don’t have most or hardly any of the answers in this messy wonderful life.  I MUST continually turn to the Lord for the answers.  And really Living At Wit’s End I’m sure is where God wants me to be, constantly turning to him for answers and direction!

Therefore, now that I have a name - to answer the question, to blog or not to blog I think I’ll blog!