Lines in the Sand

Boundaries. We all have them. Personal space, the edge of the yard, hemlines, politics, faith. These lines we've drawn ourselves are generally viewed as good and healthy. Boundaries can make your relationships stronger and keep out the crazies who threaten to destroy what you've built. They can also keep us from wandering too far, looking like a hooker, and just making ourselves look ignorant.

When I first began blogging in this space, I never gave much thought to setting boundaries on what I would share and what would remain private. I had no idea how much this blog would grow, and through it, how many amazing people I would eventually call friends. So as I watched my numbers climb higher and higher with each passing month, I got more and more worried. "Am I sharing too much? Not enough? Do I want people to know this yet? Does Hubs think it's ok to share this? What if my mom (who is not a regular reader) reads this?"

I'm positive I'm not the only person who struggles with boundaries when it comes to blogging. Especially when writing is your go-to way of thinking things through, expressing yourself, or de-stressing. It's a classic form of free therapy. (Well, after you buy a cute journal and a superb writing pen... or a MacBook Pro that you've named Magnus.) Journaling is a wonderful outlet for me, but I still find myself writing for an audience, not just for me, because journals (or teenage diaries) can be found, read, and misinterpreted. And there are also times I am just not satisfied with writing my heart out and not hitting "publish" because of a line I've drawn to protect myself and my relationships. To me, it can be the same as holding it all in or not having written it at all. So therapy has gotten a little more expensive lately.

I have said all of that to say: I'm still here, but the path that I am currently walking is not one that I am ready to share quite this publicly yet.

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