100th From Pencilbox to Keyboard

Funny how looking back on time makes it seem like it has passed so quickly.  In the Fall of 2014 I took a course at the local Higher Ed because I wanted to know what a blog was.  My first blog was posted on October 30th of that year with the help of my most patient and knowledgeable instructor, Chelsea Oliver. Now in what seems like no time at all -- today is the 100th blog that I have written and posted on Google Blog Spot, and From Pencilbox to Keyboard has been viewed over 12,000 times. Blogging has been an amazing and positive experience... thanks to all of you who read it, and sometimes take time to react, comment and even to share.  

Developing a reader base has been a slow process but -- today I have readers all over the world -- popularity varies from day to day - country to country depending on some unknown and unidentifiable reason. Sometimes I have a bunch of readers in Romania or France and then at other times, it is in Mexico, China and Poland. Go figure. Interestingly -- although I have a lot of readers in almost thirty other countries in which English is not the native language, I have very few readers in the UK or Canada.  How do I know this? Google Blogger tracks it all -- not specifics on individual readers, just the country that is linking in. I have had individuals from faraway places comment on Blogger itself and have been able to have "conversations" with them. I had one message from a CEO of some logistics company in Sweden who enjoyed my writing about my grandchildren. It is reassuring to see that there are certain values that are shared by people all over the world. (We should concentrate more on these shared values and less on the differences, methinks.) Anyway - it has been a wonderful learning experience all the way around.  What I love the most, have to say, are the comments and "likes" on Facebook -- these are from people I know and especially care about. Thank you all for reading, commenting and sharing.  I appreciate you.  You have expanded my world. 

My intent from the beginning of this blog was to reach out to those I refer to as "Maturing" Baby Boomers. I, of course, include myself in this most special group.  There are a great many of us out there, yet we do not always remember that we are not alone in the particular challenges of our times.  I personally like to be quietly reminded once in a while that I am not alone -- that I am not standing on a cliff screaming into the wind. Plus -- it is reassuring to know that others also sometimes feel sort of "out of it".  The thing is -- ironically -- it doesn't really bother me to be "out of touch" in some ways.  I, for instance, wouldn't know Beyonce, Rihanna, or Britney Spears if I ran into them on the street, and... I don't care in the least. So -- that being said -- I know that, even if at times a bit out of touch with each other and with the outside world, we are a good bunch -- we have given a lot to the world and still have a great deal to offer.  Yet -- we need each other sometimes to reaffirm our worth, to commiserate about our difficulties and to join together in laughter... that last may be the most important of all. Laughter is a supportive and positive bonding for sure. 

Anyway -- at the end of this 100th post, I thank you all, most sincerely for reading, commenting and sharing.  I appreciate you. You "get it". Thanks for being there. I am proud to be one of you.  Go Boomers! "May the Force be with you."