blogito, ergo cogito, ergo sum

"I blog, therefore I think, therefore I am"

So I noticed this morning that Mike French has kindly awarded me with the Thinking Blogger Award. Whoohooo! Many thanks, Mr French! So happy was I that I already added the logo to my sidebar, teeheehee! :-) [update, June 2008 - removed from sidebar into this post]

... ... Yes, I write "for me" but at the same time, if my posts actually resonate with readers, if my posts make readers step back and just *think* every once in a while, then I am satisfied.

So what's this award all about? It's a meme of sorts, started way back in February 2007, by a blogger who cried “Too many blogs, not enough thoughts!”

The rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
   
2. Link to The Thinking Blog post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
   
3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn't fit your blog). [the sidebar image links to Mike's site for the moment, I'll link it to this post in a week or so :-) ]

The cool thing about this [apart from actually getting this award, of course!] is I get to spread the love! So, which five blogs have made my Willow Tree persona "think"?

In no particular order:

1. Revellian: I know Bobby's already been awarded this, but hey, the rules don't say anything about no repeats! And that tells you something about not just what he writes, but how, and just how much his posts resonate with many other people out there. A fellow introspective who has gone through many trials and tribulations in his life journey, and has learned many of life's lessons along the way. One of my first discoveries from BlogExplosion.


2. The Native Sentimental Maniac: A very recent discovery, via Blog Catalog. Lordmanilastone gives such a brutally honest and unflinching view of his life, and my oh my what a life he's had! He's got a lot of stories to tell, and I am looking forward to reading them :-)


3. Corner Kick: Of the Fiction Friday participants, pjd is one who has succeeded in stunning me speechless more often than not [this in particular, amazing piece!].


4. Why Paisley?: Paisley pulls no emotional punches, and wow what a great combination of style *and* content! She's from Blog Catalog *and* a Fiction Friday participant.


5. the world through my eyes: Another BlogExplosion discovery, Michael Davis is another introspective who had me reading some of his [early] posts closely, enjoying how he shared his train of thought, his opinions, his perspective on some chosen subjects. I'm looking forward to more introspection, perhaps once he figures out how to tackle his insomnia?

aaaaaaand there you have them! I'm sure there are more, but these are the first 5 that popped into my head. So do drop by and check them out, perhaps they'll give *you* some pause too?