About this Blog

Everyone who has spent time with a small child know how often sentences can start with these words as well as how difficult and uncomfortable the rest of the question can sometimes be.

As an avid learner, these sorts of questions sometimes stick with me and I want to explore them further and find the answers. When my kids were small, they frequently challenged me in this way, which meant a trip to the library (being the pre-internet age, at least in our household) or maybe diving into my own personal, rather expansive library. These questions usually were asked in the car, or at some time when the answer had to be delayed. I tried to follow up, but sometimes they didn’t really want the answer and we forgot about it.

I have a confession to make: I LOVE researching. I know that this makes most people gasp, and sometimes physically move away from me (it might be catching), but it is true. Some of my happiest times in college were spent in dusty library basements (neighboring Lehigh University’s Linderman Library was a favorite haunt of mine) for countless hours, where I forgot about time and even food. I always had much more information than I needed when it came time to write the paper. What about it is fun? I guess it’s the thrill of the hunt, finding just the perfect quote or the perfect tidbit of information to prove my point. I also take pleasure in simply handling old books, sometimes more than 100 years old. Who else has read these particular books? What is their history? It is an almost magical connection with the past.

What do I not like about researching? Figuring out when to stop, or being forced to stop because of a deadline. It seems there is always more I can find and learn. One fact always leads to another, or to another question. In a similar vein, I have found one blog leading to another. Now that I have started writing on a regular basis, I am finding it tough to stop. I keep reaching for the notebook in the car, the one in my purse, the one at the side of the bed (my brain sometimes goes into hyperdrive at night and I wake up knowing that I have to get it all written down before I forget).

As often happens in my life, I am finding myself going off on tangents. Since this is to be shared, I am following the Virgo impulse to keep things orderly, yet follow my instincts to continue to explore new ideas and keep writing. I am now off, happily to research a (likely random) idea…