Bob Dobbs sits at the edge of the water in quiet contemplation. The water is cool and placid where it was once rough and stormy. After a moment, he gets up and begins walking towards the water.
I suppose first and foremost I should thank Caren. She was the inspiration for starting this blog. It's purpose and function grew from there.
Bob enters the water up to his ankles. He pauses for a moment.
This blog has changed my life for the better. I will always be grateful for that. From it, I got a social life, some writing work that actually paid, and a huge expansion of my friends.
Bob continues into the water up to his calves.
On the other hand, my friends have all moved on to other things. I rarely hear from them outside of the blog. There are very few parties. No more Bloggerpaloozas. The whole social environment seems long past its prime.
Bob is now up to his waist in the water.
The predominate purpose of the blog as it evolved was to vent about the problems plaguing me. It was mostly dating, as I only started on that after I hit 30. Now, there is Doctor Girlfriend so I vented about my job for a little while. But the truth is, the job is going fairly well (at least there is no evidence of imminent termination) and life with Doctor Girlfriend is very good. While there are things to complain about, they all seem shallow and not worth the effort.
Bob pauses to put his arms in the cool water. It warms very quickly.
There are so many others to thank as well. Those who became my blog friends (or at least my blog roll) and in some cases my true friends. Just to rattle them off in no particular order: Caren, Val, Dave, Joel, Phil, Chris, Todd, Becky, Sarah, Daryl, Wes, Tamara, Jacob, Wendy and the many others who have come and gone through the years.
Bob continues in the water up to his neck.
And, of course, there are the women I've dated who were part of this blog. They include pseudonyms such as Daisy, Bunny, the Duchess and Doctor Girlfriend (since the latter is here at The End, that must make her the winner). I thank each of them for their roles, no matter how large or small. With each of them, I grew a little and learned a lot. If I've forgotten any of them I can only apologize. Hopefully it'll come to me before the end.
Bob walks to the point where his face is the only thing above the water.
Blogging is so marvelous. It brings people together that you never would have met otherwise. It works so much better than other forms of social networking or art, because if done well writing is the clearest expression of your thoughts. At least, that's my opinion.
I wish I had something more magnificent or quotable to say at the end. Five years is a long time. It's enough to get syndicated. However this isn't the end. As long as there is life there are no endings. I may return to blogging someday, but not here. In the meantime, I still want to read your ideas and hear about what's going on in your life and what cool places you visit or cool things you do. And if you want to keep in touch and learn about me, there is always e-mail or telephone. If you want to meet for a meal, I like hamburgers.
Bob's head goes below the water. He lifts up his legs and allows his body to float to the ground as he closes his eyes, which immediately shoot back open. He suddenly remembers something that one final thing he should have said before. There is always one more thing. As the world goes black, he opens his mouth and speaks. His final word ascends to the top of the water in pockets of air which explode against the surface.
Bubbles.
