Hello Big World!!

That’s it. After 27 years on this earth, and about 22 years of having thoughts and feeling compelled to write them down, I am finally joining the “blogosphere,” that big, wide, scary world of sharing those thoughts on the internet with friends and strangers alike.

 Just like a year ago when I finally jumped on the smart phone bandwagon, part of me feels like I am the last one to board the blogging train. Surely all the other compulsive writers out there have been blogging for years, right? Well, better late than never. Maybe.

My biggest concern when it comes to starting this blog is the inherent narcissism I’ve always associated with blogging. Are my ideas really so original or unique or entertaining or enlightening that people would actually want to read them? I don’t want people to look at me the same way I look at people who post pictures of their lunch on facebook (How sad that you think I care).

Secondly, sharing my writing with others has always felt a little like standing naked on a stage. I submit myself for your judgment. The little lies we wear in public are stripped away. What’s left is not always pretty, and sure to offend a good chunk of the populace.

My third concern is that when I look back at my ideas from even a year or two ago, I am surprised at how foolish and immature I find them. The further back I go in time, the less I recognize myself. Was I really so clueless in high school and such a communist in college? I hope not.

Putting these and other concerns aside (just remembered… technology hates me!), I now hope to start submitting weekly entries in which I will endeavor to share my thoughts on the issues of the day inspired by the experiences of my own little life. Why the “Front Porch Philosopher,” you may ask? I have always been drawn to the big questions, the real meaning behind the little things that bubble to the surface; hence the “Philosopher” part. Not to put myself in the same league as Plato, Aristotle, or Aquinas. Anyone with an interest in pondering life’s mysteries can be a philosopher, and many of my best conversations with family and friends have veered off into the metaphysical and moral, hence the “Front Porch.” These little exchanges, often shared over coffee, have allowed me to really develop my own views and deepen my understanding of the important connections between family, faith, and politics.

Like anyone else, I have a perspective that shapes my beliefs, which—as I remind my students—is not the same as a “bias.” I am a conservative, Catholic, married woman with two young sons. My views are likely to be classified by most readers as very conservative and very Catholic. However, some of my best conversations are with liberals, usually because this forces me to sharpen my own arguments.  

So I hope you will join me for the occasional delve into the moral and philosophical assumptions underlying our ordinary existence. There’s a rocking chair and a hot, homemade espresso waiting just for you!