I am quitting my blog.

Really, I am.

I mean it this time.

It takes too many hours, checking for comments becomes an obsession and, ultimately, much of what I write is misunderstood.

a neighbor confides that something I’ve written made her smile

or a blogging friend from across the country emails me with a question about Mormonism

or I catch my teenage son reading old posts and laughing out loud.

So I write again, or put up a few photos and save quitting for another day.

When the computer geniuses of the past created the internet, they may have envisioned online shopping, quick access to information and corporate communication. But I doubt they fathomed how completely HUMAN the World Wide Web would become. People are connecting in a way that our ancestors could only dream of— chess geeks play online matches, singles find mates(or at least dates), new mothers commiserate and share advice. The internet has a forum for every interest, every hobby, every avenue of thought. Never before has there been such a fantastic opportunity for human beings to truly understand each other’s hearts and motives.

And yet, we continue to judge poorly.

I make a conscious effort on my blog to reveal the dark and the light, but still, I Photoshop my life as much as I do my pictures. Yes, I might tell you about my burnt chicken, but I’m not going to share the details of my fight with hubby or our anxiety over the mortgage.  I leave enough out that you could certainly draw some false conclusions.

Then, I turn around and draw false conclusions based on someone else’s blog.

We know so very much about each other, and still so little.

But, I wouldn’t go back.

Through blogging I have made incredible friends. People I was meant to know; people who make me think and laugh and cry; people like you. Many of my online friends are so important to me, so much a part of my thoughts that I forget we’ve never met. And interestingly, when I have met blogging friends in the flesh, the only thing that surprises me is their height(everyone is shorter or taller than they seem).

Some of my sweetest internet experiences have been with neighbors– women just around the corner or right next door–whom I finally understand(at least a little) by reading their blog. And I find myself wishing that more people would come online so that I could know them too.

But then again, when would I read it all? How could I read it all? How do you balance online life with your other responsibilities? Has the internet become a significant part of your social life? Do you think we misinterpret people’s intentions more online or face to face?

And finally, why oh why, are blog comments so ridiculously addictive?