This week marked my 4-year blogging anniversary. A couple years ago there was all this hype that blogging, at least in its traditional form, was dying. At the time, I scoffed at that notion, but I think in many ways that prediction has come true. The trend now has shifted towards what I think of as "abbreviated" blogging sites like Twitter and, even more so, social networking sites like Facebook. Frankly, I have no interest in either of these particular tools and am ignoring the trend in general.

There are a few reasons for this. First, my interest lies more in storytelling, and traditional blogging better suits that. Second, updating a site multiple times a day and reading multiple daily updates from multiple people is more of a time suck than my life can accommodate right now. And for me - and I realize I'm mostly alone in this - there isn't much reward in social networking. That seems more a mechanism for maintaining acquaintances than fostering deep friendships. Which is fine - I've just always been a person who keeps a small circle of close friends instead of a large group of casual ones.

I was completely and delightfully surprised to become part of an online community through my blog, and I cherish the friendships I've made. I love that folks follow along here, and I love reading your blogs because I've come to really care about you. (I mourn a little when one of you switches from blogging to another venue, because a blog post feels like a story from a friend while Tweets and Facebook updates feel like chit-chat. And y'all know how I feel about chit-chat.) But as I've always said, above all this blog is for me. And so I've stuck to this format because my original intent remains my current one, which is to document the moments of my life, for myself. In my own space and at my own pace.

Each year when my blogiversary rolls around, I consider whether or not I want to continue. I like the neatness of a completed circle, and so if I were ever to quit, it would likely be at an anniversary. This year I've pondered it more than before because I'm finding myself with less time than ever to devote to this. But in all sincerity, writing a blog has affected the way I view my life. I notice more. I remember more. I see the ways I've changed. And I like having a voice in my own narrative, writing my history as it happens.

Of course, I suppose I could put it all down in a journal, but there's also joy in sharing my stories with the world. So, thanks for being here. I'm sorry I'm not out there more, swapping banter on all these new-fangled sites. I'm a homebody, even online. Come visit. Or not. I'll be here.

(Except not for the next week. I won't be here, then. We're escaping to warmer weather for a bit. There might even be some playing with monkeys. And no, that's not a euphemism. Unless you want it to be.)