'Tis better to give

For a long time, I've been a taker, not a giver. I have fought against the adage that it is better to give than receive. I much prefer receiving.

Around Christmas time one of my favorite things to do is read Christmas letters. There is something about reading a year's summary of one's life that just gets to me. It has become a sick obsession; I even read Christmas letters at other peoples' houses--letters from people I don't even know. Yet, I have never once written my own. I prefer receiving.

Blogging has been the same way. I have many friends' blogs bookmarked and saved to my favorites. Every day, sometimes more than once a day, I check to see if there has been something new posted on their blogs. If there has, I read them over and chuckle to myself (I have very witty friends). If there isn't, I curse them...."Do you mean to tell me that it has been ONE MONTH since you last posted??" But have I left any comments? Do I invite them to view my blog? Nope. I prefer receiving.

My hypocrisy smacked me between the eyes yesterday. I was talking to one of my sisters, in essence saying good-bye because she's off to Germany to be an exchange student for the next year. As I was saying good-bye, I said, "You know what you should do? You should start a blog so that I can stay updated on your life." Read: give me more, more, more.

So finally, I decided that I'd put my own voice out there. No sooner had I decided to write my own blog than the disclaimers started flying. I'm not as interesting as my friend Shiloh. I'm not as good of a writer as my friend Erin. I don't know how to turn every little thing into a hilarious story like my friend Jenny. I'm not experiencing life in a new country like my sister Hannah. I don't have as much as what I like to call "cool" knowledge as my friend Ann. All those thoughts shot rapid fire, but then I thought, all of my friends already know that about me.

So, blogging world, here I am. This blog is what it is. This is my attempt to give a little instead of always receiving.