Been tagged by Greg, an apparent first-time internet-meme taggee. Can't imagine how I've missed tagging him in the past.

Here's the deal, fairly straightforward. List five reasons why I blog.:

Self-indulgent blather

Yes, there it is: blogging is, at least in part, an exercise in narcissism. Doesn't mean I don't have anything worthwhile to share,¹ but there is that basic human need to be heard that is a key motivation.

Keeping in touch

Almost all of my family and friends are within a day's drive, but most are not exactly around the corner, either. A blog is a good (not perfect) way to keep everyone up to speed on what's going on in our lives especially the big stuff.

Information-sharing

There are, perhaps surprisingly, some things that I discover or learn that may be worth sharing with others. You know, kind of as a community service.

Writing practice

I maintain an interest in writing---perhaps not good writing according to some standards---but I do enjoy the discipline of translating thought to words.

Connecting with others

In those dark and benighted days before the internet, the only way to foster a non-face-to-face relationship through the medium of writing was to have a pen pal. Through my blog and the blogs of others, I have had dozens, if not hundreds, of conversations about topics that hold a deep interest to me. Fleeting as some of these conversations may have been, I have actually met a couple of these people in the flesh (Greg is one) and the relationships seem somehow richer and more meaningful because of---rather than in spite of---the 'impersonal' medium in which we initially met.

That last one is perhaps the most exciting to me. Despite our reputation as pajama wearing navel-gazers, most bloggers who are at least semi-serious have stories of making a connection, of finding kindred spirits and collaborators, of enriching the lives of others as well as their own. All through blogging.

Maybe it's me, but did those answers seem too formulaic to you? Let's tag Cynthia and Stephen. I'll bet they can come up with something different.