The coolest family dude in webcomics

Yesterday Howard was named “The coolest family dude in webcomics” by Peter Hayward of Weekly Webcomic Reviews http://www.thechainsawblokes.com/wwr/?p=38 This was information I already knew. I’m getting pretty used to Howard recieving accolades of one kind or another. I happen to know that he deserves them because I know how hard he works and how hard he is on himself because he never feels like he is working hard enough. In this case the accolades are a little different because Hayward doesn’t read Schlock Mercenary at all. He reads Howard’s livejournal and enjoys it, but apparently he reads this journal even more avidly. He had some very nice things to say about my writing. In fact Howard has to share his award with me. This isn’t a problem since we share most things anyway. (Except for his computer, car, and ipod those belong to him.)

I read this review late last night when I was too tired to put coherent words together. Then this morning was slurped into the black hole known as “preschool field trip.” Once I arrived back home and shuffled the children off to play, I sat down and scanned through my recent entries trying to figure out what exactly it was about my writing that Hayward likes enough that he’s trying to send masses of people to read my entries about potty training or dance lessons. I had to fight back an impulse to try to write something particularly entertaining to validate Hayward’s theory that my journal is worth reading. It was a pretty easy fight to win, because the truth is that this journal is primarily for me, not because I want to gain an audience. I know lots of ways that I could drive more traffic to my journal, but I don’t really want the word “traffic” associated with it. Drive by traffic sometimes throws rocks. Everyone who is here wended their way here through a personal connection of some kind. It is a filtering process of sorts and the people who are interested in the kinds of things I have to say will stick around to read and comment.

I love having people read my entries and respond. I love when a response gives me new thoughts on the subject du jour. I love having people comment on my writing or tell me stories about their own lives. I love the way this journal allows me to connect to people with whom I never would have expected to connect. I began this journal as a way to write entertaining/interesting entries so that years from now I could cruise through my journal archives and remember what life was like today. It still serves that purpose, but it provides much more than that. The unexpected gift of this journal has been a personal renaissance. Because of this journal I began writing regularly. Because of the online friendships that have developed, I’ve grown into a stronger and more confident person. I gain far more from this journal and the people who respond to it, than I put into it.

So a big “Thank You” goes to Mr. Hayward for his kind words. I’ll add “Welcome” to anyone new who has wandered here and decided to stick around for awhile.