This past summer, I made a rather life-changing discovery-
there are hundreds of blogs out there written by foreign service officers. They
recount the fairytale and not-so-fairytale adventures of what I believe to be
the most interesting and enviable career out there. I poured through these
blogs for months, consuming every detail with a manic fervor. I'd walk away
from binge-reading with a slightly numb, floating feeling. I craved them all of
the time. Eventually, I had to face the rather alarming similarities to an
opioid addiction (not to make light of a very serious epidemic) and kick the
habit.
While I've returned to keeping up with some FS blogs
(responsibly, I swear!), the truly long term effect was a nagging wish to have
my own blog one day. Oh, what captivating tales I'd tell that will no doubt
feed some future poor soul's FS blog addiction! However, in true Katie fashion,
I've decided to spurn the merits of delayed gratification in favor of immediate
whim. I want to blog now.
There are a number of reasons that support starting now. For
one, while my life isn't filled with malaria pills and human trafficking
luncheons quite yet, I have some quasi-interesting things going on in my life.
Things that I know I'll appreciate having some record of.
Second, I don't do a lot of writing anymore and I fear what
was once one of my greatest strengths is now languishing in disuse. I
contemplated (and even started) writing a book for fun but that idea died when
my computer did. Three short months later, in with a new computer, in with a
new form of expression!
Third, journaling is universally recognized as good for your
health*. I journal fairly regularly anyway, so naturally, the next step is to
put all of my personal information and thoughts out into a format that cannot
be erased and always has the potential to come back and haunt you. So,
journaling without the sense of safety and through the filter of knowing
there's an audience.
Which brings me to my final thoughts. Some may believe it
preposterously arrogant of me to think my rather mundane life is worthy of a
spotlight. And to deem this project a valid idea is to show such a level of
delusion, of caricatured self-image, that I should put down my computer and
seek help immediately. To those I say, "you might be right."
But alas, see the above reasons for why I'm going to trudge
forward anyway. Namely, the self-control problem. I don't know what exactly
I'll write about yet, or when I'll post, but those are logistics for those
who've exercised a modicum of forethought, not me.
*No actual research was done before citing this possibly
made-up fact.
