Grateful, and Why I blog

I am grateful for so many things (and people), and I try to remind myself of them so the stressful things don't get me down. Health, good food, a warm safe place to live, friends and family members that love me despite my imperfections, the freedom to express myself, and the internet!

I have returned to blogland because of the last 2 things I mentioned. I do some journaling and it really helps when I'm under stress =( Also when I'm happy =) It makes it more real or something....And when I think of the events in the past few years of my life, I realize how important a blog was to me. The blog was a constant when so many things were changing; it kept me grounded and somewhat sane=) And when I die, it will be something to be remembered by.

I told a few friends & family members about my blog 'cause I want to share my thoughts and views. There are times I almost wish I didn't--maybe if I wanted to rant about an individual. Then I realized, I'm glad to have a couple of people to hold me accountable. Because, even in this great land of freedom and the age of the internet, anonymity is never completely assured. People get fired, relationships break down, lawsuits for libel and slander spring up, and there can be regrets over inappropriate disclosures online. Sometimes, it's about dancing a delicate dance to express oneself without sacrificing another individual's dignity or privacy. That's how I see it.

I've changed the name of my blog for several reasons:
1)Can't access my old blog 'cause I shut down and deleted the email address I used to open it.
2)My blog's main focus isn't on anger and ranting (although some posts may be).
3)I'm aware that online searches for "girl next door" seem to bring up either Hugh Hefner's lady friends or adult film stars, and as I am neither of the above, I decided to remove that from my title.

I tend to overanalyze stuff sometimes, so I was even questioning identifying myself as a Kenyan girl. I am proud of my Kenyan identity so I want to declare that to the world. "Girl" sounds very young; but I'm gonna stick with it for now. I can pull it off though I'm way past my teens, and not middle-aged yet...lol. I've had a lot of time on my hands recently and need productive, low-cost activities to indulge in (especially when I'm awake really late @ night and waiting for sleeping med to kick in)--blogging fits the bill!