I’ve been blogging for a long time. An overwhelming majority of you only started following me in the last year, so this blog is all you know. But I had other blogs before this one. Blogs that I long ago retired for one reason or another. Blogs that have been more or less forgotten. In the toolbar of my Firefox browser, I have shortcuts to each. Occasionally, I’ll go revisit them.

In the early days of my blogging I actually talked about my life. I talked about serious topics. I know those of you who are regulars to SKOS probably find this revelation hard to believe, but it’s true.

I used to give serious advice to people — advice that had nothing to do with leather chaps, snakeskin cowboy boots or insane ways to woo the ladies. Really, I did. Here is an excerpt of a post I wrote back in my teaching days to my senior students about to graduate:

“Each of you, in your own way, will rebel now that you are away from (high school). Some of your rebellion will be something as minor as letting your hair grow out. Others of you may rebel on a much larger scale.

“Just remember that God has a plan for each of you. Even if you get off His path somewhere along the way, He is able to bring you back on track. If something doesn’t go your way, pick yourself up and try to make the best of it. If you make a poor decision in life, do not make it worse by making another poor decision trying to correct it. The things that seem so huge and important at 18 will not seem that way at age 35. Think back to the things that mattered to you at 13 if you need proof.”

If you think that’s something, I also used to discuss music without zinging Christina Aguilera’s lack of shame, Avril Lavigne’s lack of visual appeal or Katy Perry’s lack of talent. Here is a short excerpt of a post I wrote that explained the way I catalog life’s memories through songs:

“Some time ago, it occurred to me that I could track the timeline of my life through songs. Music is more than just a form of entertainment; it brings back memories – good memories, sad memories, memories of friends still cherished, memories of friends that slipped away, memories you want to keep, and memories you wish would just go away.”

Does that even sound like me?

And here is an excerpt of a post I wrote that talked about how a previous trying period in my life would help prepare me for future trying periods:

“It is said that God works in mysterious ways. This statement is often uttered whenever something bad or unexpected happens. It is a comforting thought – even though we do not understand the rhyme or reason in a situation, God has our best interests in mind and, if we’re lucky, we will understand how His hand was guiding us when we look back on it years later.

…

“So, I’m not going to let anything get me down this time around. If I miss out on a job, all that means is it wasn’t the one for me. If one relationship doesn’t work out, I’ll say a prayer and get ready for the next one. If my Jeep breaks down, I’ll go out and buy a 1966 Ford Mustang. If my hair goes prematurely gray, I’ll go buy that Just for Men hair-coloring stuff.”

These aren’t the superficial works of comedic genius most of you have come to expect from me. From the looks of things, I used to be… complicated and kind of deep.

Reading old blog posts you’ve written is like looking through old photo albums of yourself. Memories come flooding back to you.

I read those old posts and try to relate to the younger version of me who wrote them.

When I wrote my first post, I was still a teacher. I had finished graduate school just days earlier. I was coaching baseball and softball. That seems like so long ago.

On that first blog, I met a girl who would eventually move across the country to be with me. We weren’t meant to be and it’s been forever since I last heard from her, but I see numerous posts about her in those old archives.

I see the post I wrote where I announced this girl and I had created a joint blog. I’d forgotten all about this other blog. Most all of the posts I wrote on it were eventually moved here to SKOS, but hers are still there… forgotten. It’s sad. That blog is like a time capsule for a bittersweet, frustrating, somber period of my life.

At some point, the content of my blog posts changed. My serious posts had hints of dry wit in them from time to time, but they were still serious. Eventually, the seriousness went away. It became all about the funny.

I stopped talking about anything going on in my life. I started writing fake humor stories. I started to use my blog as a vehicle for comedic fiction. I would sprinkle things about me into my posts here and there, but in the sarcastic chaos it was difficult for anyone to ascertain what was real and what was made up for comedic effect.

Why the switch? I really don’t know. I guess, in my own way, I’m still complicated and kind of deep.

Or maybe, with the world being such a somber and serious place, I wanted my blog to be a place where I could escape. Yes, I think that’s it. I’m not complicated or deep at all, so that’s got to be it.

Katy Perry still can’t sing, though. Just an FYI.