One of the best parts about cutting back my browsing was the time it gave me to sit with my thoughts. I didn’t have to squeeze them in-between movies news or whatever drama reddit was serving up. I spent quite a bit of time thinking about the time I’ve spent online, my future online, and the state of the internet.
I obviously have a lot of bad things to say about the internet and what its become, but I was surprised by how many good things came to mind too. I mean, I’ve met actual friends online through blogging. I have a small forum full of interesting and kind people who share their wins and their life with one another. Michael is one of my closest friends and that friendship grew because I sent him an email about his blog and almost ten years ago. That friendship has grown and without the internet, I would not have that and my life would be less.
I’d love to go through and list all of the great people I’ve met online, but it would take me hours and I’d be heartbroken if I forgot someone. But I can assure you, if we’ve chatted via email or online, I’m talking about you. You have enriched my life and for that I am thankful.
It’s funny, if you listen to me talking to my wife I’ll mention tv shows my buddy in Chicago recommended or movies my buddy from Italy reviewed. I’ll talk about my fancy video game professor friend in England or my so many cool friends from Canada. Singapore, Portugal, Germany, Poland… the list goes on and I’ll name drop all of these interesting folks from around the globe, from places I’ve never even heard of and will likely never visit, but somehow, through me sharing my thoughts and feelings online, they’ve come into my life and their lives, opinions, and thoughts make their into the conversations I have with friends and family.
So yea, the internet does suck a lot of the time, but it’s not all bad.
I made some mistakes earlier this year. I involved myself in some drama that I had no business being in. I let opinions and insults get under my skin and I took my ball and went home. I torpedoed that link between myself and all those good people I’ve met over the past few years and in hindsight that was a mistake.
Last night, after much deliberation, I decided to rectify that mistake. I began dusting off my old domain and began moving the content I’ve created these past few months here on LiveLoveSlay back to Brandon’s Journal, where it really belonged.
If you are reading this, then you most likely got the link to this blog from me directly, or maybe you ran across the single post I made about it a few months back. Either way, I really appreciate you reading my nonsense and thank you for supporting me over these past few months. But now, it’s time to update your RSS readers and bookmarks, because as of today, Brandons-Journal.com is back.