I am an intensely private person. (I realize that by saying that, I have just nullified the statement and violated my own privacy, but to some extent that is what I am attempting to do here, so please bear with me.)

The writing I have done for the most part my whole life has been outward-directed – a discussion of culture, politics, ideas. I have occasionally tried my hand at more personal writing – I had a good run of pieces about parenting when my children were young and I could make fun of myself as a witless dad – but for the most part, I tend to cringe at the thought of being too revealing.

But I don’t cringe at the personal writing of others. If it’s good, funny, touching, provocative, illuminating, it can be a great read. And lately I’ve been reading the off-hand and semi-offhand observations of some of my favorite writers. Like any good writing – political essays, humor, novels especially – it can and is inspiring, and makes me want to give it a try.

I realize we live in an era of way too much self-disclosure, brought about the phenomenal  success of so-called social media, really just an arch euphemism for Facebook. But Facebook has also brought us together in unprecedented ways, enabled us to connect beyond time and place, with old acquaintances and new (indeed, it was through Facebook that I met the woman with whom I am now domiciled). Blogging and Facebook are digital-era counterreactions to suburbanization and the destruction of intergenerational family living and small-town life.

Facebook alone, however, isn’t enough. It’s a snack, not a meal. It doesn’t really allow for considered thought or narrative; that’s simply not its purpose. Which is what brings us back to blogging, something in between Facebook and the personal essay.

I’m writing this quickly, while my dog, Stevie, is pacing around the room, nipping at my arm, restless, saying, in his own way, “Time to go out.” So let me just end this here and pick up later, the next time I have a moment where I can negotiate the fine line between personal and private.