Friday, February 25, 2011

Giving it a Full Two Percent

I'm occasionally asked about what I write here, and how I can possibly expose so much of my life in this way. Some feel I'm incredibly personal while I think I'm pretty circumspect. It's all perspective, of course.

If you read here regularly, you know a great deal about how I think. An acquaintance challenged me recently to put a number to how much of "me" and my daily thinking is chronicled here. I have been mulling that over for a few days now. I have decided it's about 2% of "me" that's here over the course of the lifespan of the blog.

It's not that I'm holding back, it's that I'm editing. Much of my thought processes are not something I can explain - they make sense to me but I realize they don't to other people.

In the past week I've had two occasions where someone laughed heartily at something I said that I didn't intend to be funny. It reminded me again of how out of step I am with much of the world. Because I'm reminded of those things regularly, I know I cannot begin to explain my thought processes sufficiently.

The thoughts can be somewhat like disjointed dreams until they coalesce into something more that I sometimes share here. Meanwhile, other thoughts are working away.

I also take in a large amount of information on a daily basis through reading, listening, questioning, podcasts and conversation. Without new data, thinking would be circular, so I welcome new information.


I scratch the surface of who I am here. But, truth be told, that's probably about the same as I share with people in real life, too, unless they're very close. In fact, those who read here certainly know more about who I am than many people I interact with in real life, but with whom my interaction is superficial. Those who engage in real conversation with me, and also read here, probably know a bit more about who I am, and that would be the most outside of my intimates.

It's not that there's much in the remaining parts of me that requires protection, but it requires more explanation than most people have time or interest for - understandably so. When I do have a chance to have deep conversation with people and to think outloud about something, it's great, but those opportunities are rare.