Making connections

The snow has disappeared altogether but there is a damp chill to the air. By now we are more accustomed to the cold weather so few people complain. I did my last shopping today but it wasn’t too crowded and people all seemed to be in a good mood.

I am just pausing for five minutes from what I have been doing to write my final blog before Christmas. I read an article today about the large numbers of people who blog about their illnesses. The gist of the piece was that writing helps to come to terms with what is happening and in a world where things are done to us as patients, it is a way of keeping some sort of control, a corner of life which is one’s own. The writer commented how friends and family can keep in touch with one’s progress; it doesn’t stop them calling but it saves one’s nearest and dearest from constant repetition.

It also means that we make new encounters and sometimes reconnect with colleagues and friends from the past. This has certainly happened for me.

Most of the blogs I have read are not gushing with emotion or self-pity. They vary enormously and some include references to other sites. With single-issue blogs or writing about a particular lifestyle, far from just sending words out into the stratosphere, it is amazing what a small world it is and the connections which exist.

Sometimes people encounter a problem which they think is unique to them and so they search on the internet for someone else going through a similar experience. A blog gives them a personal connection and understanding which helps much more than perhaps a learned, factual article.

In my situation I have grown to understand how important all these connections are. The house is filled with cards from some while from others we receive telephone calls, emails and this year I have just received a lovely smilebox and e-cards.

I am looking forward to being with most of the family this Christmas but even those who are far away are in my thoughts. I hope that readers who have to travel or await relatives who are travelling will find the journeys are safe. May you all have a peaceful and contented Christmas.