"I'm just a soul whose intentions are good,
Please, Lord, don't let me be misunderstood"
The Animals

I have had a whopping slap of karma hit me in recent days.

If you remember back to the online disagreement I had with my son in which he was VERY pissed off at me over some VERY personal information I posted as part of my blog. I saw it as part of telling the story and he saw it as an invasion of privacy.

Last weekend after Dana's visit she blogged about the cleaning out of the house and her impressions of me and how I had kept the house.

I now know how my son felt.

While written very well and, in spots, humorously, I did take offense to the post. The major difference I had with the post is some of the conclusions to which she had jumped without the simply courtesy of asking a question or two. I have since ironed out these issues thru Jason and, being such good friends, this will soon be water under the bridge.

The major issue is how these blogs are seen on the other side of the PC. I sat down here 5 years ago and decided to spew my most personal thoughts as if I were writing only to myself. That has made for some very deep and thoughtful posts along the way. Yes, I have, at times, edited myself and NOT posted on certain issues; mostly work related. But, for the most part, it is still no holds barred.

But how does that play on your side of the screen? I walk away from posting feeling cathartic and sated that I have gotten a thought, issue, or problem off my chest; but what if it went off my chest and smack-dab on the top of your head?

Before confronting my friend with how I felt about his wife's blog I discussed it with a couple of friends. One of them asked, "Just how important is it, really? How many people read her blog?" My answer was "And how many people read my bog? Just as many, and it was important because of how John felt about what I had written".

Karma is a lovely thing.

Will I change how I write? I hope not. I have had comments and reactions from people I would never have imagined would be reading my blog. I set out to be honest here. When I sat down 5 years ago I decided to write the same way I did when I sat down with a composition book and wrote my "journal" when I was 14; just me and my thoughts. If I think of myself as a writer because of this blog, then I have succeeded because my writing evokes a reaction in the person who reads it. Even if I piss you off, I hope you like how I do it.

I will, however, be apologizing like nothing else the next time I see my son.