Early this year, I started walking outside in my neighborhood. I did it in preparation for our trip to England, because I wanted to get hubby walking and I knew he’d never do the treadmill. We walked every day in spring, and I made a startling discovery. The pain I’d been suffering in my heel from my plantar fasciitis ever since I’d started seriously exercising a few years ago disappeared! Apparently, because my neighborhood is hilly, and I was walking up and down hills, I was naturally stretching my plantar fascius, thus eliminating my pain.

That was the beginning of a new habit for me. Not only did I start walking outside every day, but I got religious about it. I walk in the drizzle, I walk in the cold, I walk in the heat (although I try to walk early to beat that), and I walk every single day (unless I’m out of town). I’ve never done that in my life. I’ve become addicted to my exercise. This week we had rain, and I had to miss a day when it rained really hard for the entire day. I felt off all day.

Part of it is the fact that I remain pain-free as long as I walk, but part of it is that it has become a habit. This is a very strange and new experience for me. In the past, I would have used any excuse to avoid my exercise. Now I panic if I wake up and it’s raining. Fortunately, for some reason where I live it tends not to rain at the time of the morning when I walk. I can usually fit it in sometime during the day, when it lets up or clears up or whatever.

I love my little stint outside. I love looking at the changes of the weather. I love the pretty lake I walk past. I love having the time to think through vexing problems in my book. It’s weird, and not like me at all. And I love that I’ve worked up to two miles a day. I want to get to three, more than I’ve ever walked daily in my life.

What about you? Have you developed any new habits? Do you exercise? Do you find it brightens your day, or is it always a slog?

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Okay, so maybe I’ll admit to having a teeny inferiority complex. When we first started The Goddess Blogs, it took me all of three seconds to figure out that my fellow Goddess authors are all delightfully funny. I’m in awe of their talent and pea-green with envy that humor comes so naturally to them!

It’s tough enough being witty and entertaining and interesting and fun. But funny? Trust me, it’s like pulling your own wisdom teeth out with a humongous pair of pliers if humor isn’t your forte. Which is why I get butterflies in my stomach every time I contemplate writing my next blog.

So why am I here? Why do I wrack my brains to be worthy of participating? What am I getting out of this? The answer is simple. I’m here because I need it. I benefit from a romance blog like this in countless ways.

Sure, we authors want to showcase our books and hopefully drum up interest and a reader following. After all, selling books is what keeps us employed and able to pursue our passion. But there are lots of other benefits, too. You may know by now that I adore lists and can’t function without them, so let me count the benefits in a list:

1) Laughs. Both the bloggers and commentors have given me so many lol moments.

2) Commiseration. I get sympathy and empathy from people who understand my neuroses, who share my passions and pet peeves, who think fictional characters are actually real, who would defend their precious books with their dying breath… We romance readers are a breed unto ourselves.

3) Entertainment. Whether the posts are funny, sad, intriguing, whatever, they take me on a great ride.

4) Knowledge. I learn interesting stuff I never knew and have to think about things I’ve never considered before.

5) Creativity. I get to express my feelings and have a creative outlet for rants and raves.

6) Escape. Visiting here is a great way to procrastinate from work. Alternatively, it provides a nice brain break when I’ve been hard at work.

7) Anti-depressant. Reading the blogs and comments cheers me up when I’m down and always, always brightens my day.

All those are great reasons to participate in The Goddess Blogs . But the foremost reason I’m here – and the reason I’ll keep coming back – is the

8 ) Camaraderie. A shared sense of belonging.

I’m not alone when I have this site to turn to. I’m part of a larger community. I can stay connected to the world. And the best thing about participating? I make lifelong friends.

I was heartbroken when my fave romance board folded several years ago. I still enjoy visiting other boards and blogs, but none have been quite so satisfying or fulfilling to me as The Romance Journal. The people I met there gave me such pleasure and joy. Which is why I’m so very glad to have The Goddess Blogs now. It’s a true pleasure getting to know my fellow writer and reader Goddesses. Without you, my teeny inferiority complex would mushroom into some hulking anti-Muse perched on my shoulder, hooting derisively and calling me unflattering names every time I tried to be funny.

But I wonder if everyone else who visits and participates has the same expectations of our site as I do? We just celebrated our one month anniversary yesterday, so this seems like a great time to ask some questions about expectations, since a blog site is only as good as its participants. The thing is, we can make The Goddess Blogs what we want it to be.

So what do you want The Goddess Blogs to be? Why do you visit romance boards and blogs? What do you get out of it? What would keep you coming back here day after day? What would make you follow every discussion and post your own comments? In short, what would brighten your day?

(And I’ll try not to feel too inferior if you come back with some funny as well as serious answers.)

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My name is Rachel Gibson and I am a shoe-aholic. It started in the fourth grade with my first pair of white patent leather go-go boots. Once I felt them on my legs, and listened to the sound of the heels as I walked the playground at Longfellow Elementary School, I was hooked. In junior high, while other girls babysat and earned money for things like cars or college tuition, I bought shoes.

Always.

My husband doesn’t understand my obsession, but that’s okay. I don’t understand his obsession with fishing. It’s either cold or hot, depending on the time of year, and smelly. When my husband points to my closet overflowing with pumps and wedgies as reasons why I don’t need another pair of shoes, I open the freezer and point to the frozen schools of fish.

To me, shoes are works of art that make a statement about the person wearing them.  I like my statement to have a little flash. I think boring shoes are a tragedy of cataclysmic proportions. And yes, I know that Crocs are comfy and all that, but I just have to cover my mouth and shake my head.

My mother is also a huge shoe freak, but her true passion is collecting anything Betty Boop. She’s one of those ladies you see walking around in Betty Boop T-shirts, jackets, pants and carrying a Boop purse.  She has an entire room in her house devoted to Betty, which makes buying her gifts easy . . . or at least it used to.  She’s about to turn seventy, and a year ago I took a good look at the Boop room and it hit me like a slap up side the head that I was going to inherit all that Betty crap . . . ah stuff, one of these days.

I think everyone should have a passion, be it shoes, fishing or collecting memorabilia. Something that gets us all excited and brightens our day.

So what’s your passion? What makes a statement about your inner Goddess?

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