Tread Carefully

This blogging gig is fascinating. I'm feeling tremendously liberated by it but I'm discovering that it makes people curiously uncomfortable. I've received some negative feedback recently. I'm comfortable with what I'm doing. But while folks who know me appear to be enjoying their invitation to read what amounts to my journal (dirty laundry and all) they seem to feel that this also gives them the right to privately declare bits of my life off-limits.

When I've been approached with the negative responses to my writing here my gut reaction has been "It's my journal. I get to write what I want. If you don't like it, quit reading it." In many ways I feel like I've staked out a little square in the universe and I'm owning it. I'm protecting my anonymity fairly well but, like other blogfriends it certainly doesn't take an idiot to figure out who I am. I don't think that the couple hundred folks a week who read my blog (mostly for my midwifery musings) give two bob about what random thoughts I might have about my personal circle of people scattered about the globe. Those who do know my circle, know me well enough to know what tiny bits I've talked about.

Ive found myself wondering where to put some of the things I've been riled about, not feeling able to dump them here in case someone's feelings might get hurt. So in the interests of keeping the peace I declare the following:

Henceforth, I will no longer write here about my family. Though Husband and Sons are fair game. They're taking this ride with me and so can expect to find themselves in the mix occasionally. My other family can rest assured that I shall stake another, completely anonymous patch of the blogosphere where I will give them all wildly eccentric fake names and blog to my hearts content. I shan't invite them or anyone else to read it. We'll just call that therapy. My invisible shrink. :)

If you are in my life, as a friend or acquaintance then you may find yourself written about. Or not. If it's personal then I'll ask permission. If it's just about my lived experience you might just find yourself reading familiar stuff. If you have a problem with what I write then please feel free to post a comment, lambasting me in the provided spot below. I'll approve all but the most offensive responses. Then everyone gets a say, hey?

In other news I have realized that in attaching my blog address to the bottom of my outgoing e-mail people are reading me in greater numbers. I'm pleased about that but in the same breath today I became aware that a bunch of islanders and at least one faculty member at school is now reading me. I'm not yet even a student but I'm being read by the folks who in a matter of months will most probably make appearences in my writing. People are aware of me in a way I'm not sure I bargained for. I like it, I think. But it somehow up's the stakes a bit.