Why Blog & Paying It Forward

     Three pre-adolescent boys sit on their bikes in a huddle. They surmise the next path they will take, looking at their options. Ahead of them lies a sidewalk with a sharp, downward roller-coaster curve and a continuing steep downward grade. It looks scary. The boys wonder whether it's dangerous to ride. They might ride too fast and lose control. Maybe they should walk it.

     The bulldog-built lad wearing no helmet appears to be the leader of the pack. His adrenaline must be flowing. He bravely encourages his cohorts, "We can do it. I'll ride the curve first, then you follow!"

     The other two watch; one helmet-clad, the other not. Helmet-clad Hugo appears sheepish and cautious, the other a bit braver. Hugo has a speech impediment that might be accentuated with the rush of adrenaline. They are both tenuous, watching their leader attack the Grand Canyon. At a similar age I took a sharp turn on my bike, slid on gravel, flew over the bike handles, and still grace the war tattoo to prove it. So these boys aren't stupid.

The downward grade looks scary from the tire skid angle.

     The two followers see Fearless Freddy survive, and then they cautiously approach the curve to test it themselves. They hug the curve, maneuver the fast slope; hit the brakes; and the WOW-factor hits. They thrive unscathed and evaluate the length of each other's "cool" tire skids. "Your skid is the longest" exclaims excited Hugo, "Let's wide it again!"

     We witness the inception of three adrenalized dare devils developing the important bravery quotient.

     I identify with helmet-clad, speech-impaired Hugo. I'm cautious, yet sometimes naively brave when need be, following my Leader. Blogging takes diligent time and work. Putting ideas out there is risky. Writings lose control to the reader and invite judgment and criticism. Yet, I write because I stumble.through ideas.needing boundaries.and because:

• Books, songs, and movies are with us because of... writers.
• Psalms in the Bible are with us because of... writing worshippers.

I attempt to pay it forward, writing.
Encouraging myself.
Hoping to convey the essence of encouragement to others.

• Writing helps to find my way to God, remembering the good things and the ever-present God things.
• When something positive, intriguing, or even distressing happens, I write to somewhat make sense of it all.
• Stories are all around, just look, listen, and write.
• I believe in writing the way some people believe in fairy tales.

♫Somewhere over the rainbow;♫
They lived happily ever after;

Win the Belmont by 31 lengths.

• I surmise the scary and curved canyon;
• And follow my encouraging Leader (John 3:16).
• I write, striving to be Holy Spirit-clad;
• Evaluate the braking tire skids; 
• Prayerfully listen to any feedback.
• And then, I write again.

The bikers' roller coaster curve track. Tenuous?