Getting in touch with Charlie

'Why do you blog', a friend asked me yesterday. We were talking about creating a web presence for him and, so naturally, he wanted to know what blogging was all about.

I've been blogging regularly now for nearly 5 years (publicly and privately) and for almost 20 years, journaling as well, so coming up with an answer wasn't too hard.

'Well'. I said, 'I think the best way to explain it is to tell you a story. It's about a man called Edgar Bergan. Edger is probably best known as the father of the actress Candice Bergan, but in the 1930-40's he hosted one of the most popular radio shows in America. It was a very simply format. Edgar was a ventriloquist and the program was just him dialogging with his dummy, a character he called Charlie McCarthy.

Well, it seems that one day, one of the shows writers called to Edgar's hotel room to deliver the script for that evenings show. As he was about to knock on the door, he overheard Edgar sharing his deepest personal problems with someone else who was in the room with him. Being sensitive to the moment, the script writer waited outside for a convenient moment to enter. When Edgar had finished his story, the writer heard the other person in the room reply. To his astonishment, Edgar's counselor was none other than Charlie, his ventriloquist dummy. When all the talking was over the writer knocked, entered and delivered the script. 'It's none of my business Mr Bergan', said the writer, 'but how come you took counsel from Charlie? He's just a wooden dummy, actually Edger - he's you.'

'I know,' said Bergan, 'I know, but when ever Charlie speaks to me, I never know what he is going to say, and often what he does say astounds me with it's brilliance.'


You see, I said to my friend, it's like that when I write. It helps me get in touch with the Charlie that's in all of us. With out getting too spiritual, I said, It's a wisdom and a perspective God plants within each of us. Some people call it 'free writing,' just starting off and seeing where it leads. For me, blogging's the best way to unlock that wisdom both for myself and others. It helps clarify my thinking, it puts me in touch with my higher self so I can see a fresh perspective on my own life,

but best of all -

. . . . . it's cheaper than therapy!