At 5:31 Eastern Time, the Site Meter logged the 100,000th visit to this place. To be sure, compared to some, that number is not all that impressive, but it dazzles hell out of me. Two years ago, when a typical day resulted in a dozen visits, I would have laughed out loud at the prospect of ever seeing 100,000 hits. I am flattered beyond description.

The 100,000th visitor came in via Charter.com from the Central Time Zone. Whoever you are, thanks!

Over the last hour or so, I have been giving a bit of thought to what the “blogging experience” has given to me. Here are some random thoughts on that score.

I am reminded every day just how many talented writers there are out there who write for fun when they are not busy making a living doing things that have nothing to do with writing. Lately, when reading newspapers, magazines or books written by “professionals,” I often find myself thinking, “I know bloggers who could have written that better.”

Blogging has changed the way I look at everyday experiences, viewing each of them as potential blog fodder and quickly analyzing which of them would “write well” and which wouldn’t. I suspect that just about all bloggers share that experience.

I have learned that some entries, even complex ones, seem to write themselves, while others, which I had originally thought would be simple, require a good deal of mental wrestling and re-writing to get them right.

I have learned a good deal about how Life 101 presents itself in different parts of the country, and how foolish it is to think that America begins and ends with the tri-state area.

I have learned that sometimes I simply come up empty, and, on those occasions it can be difficult to avoid thinking that I will never, ever, ever again have anything to say about anything. I have learned that, at least so far, those thoughts are unwarranted.

I have learned that non-bloggers’ reactions to blogging cover the waterfront from outright derision (“It’s a stupid waste of time”), to curiosity (“How can you think of so much stuff to say?”) to genuine interest.

Probably the most valuable thing that blogging has given me is the opportunity to make lots of interesting friends. Some I know only through their blog and comments, some through e-mails, some over the phone, and some in person. Great folks all.

Thank you all for everything. A special thanks to Cousin Jack for suggesting that I might want to give this blogging thing a go.