Why

"Find out the reason that commands you to write; 

see whether it has spread its roots into the very depth of your heart; 

confess to yourself you would have to die if you were forbidden to write." 

— Rainer Maria Rilke

It seems as if every blogger ends up writing a "why I blog" post. I'm probably about due for one.

So why do I write?

I write because it stretches my writing muscles. Some days, I am full of inspiration. I've jumped out of bed to scribble down a concept more than once. But once in a while, I feel I have nothing to say. It's times like those I go back to scraps and paragraphs in a notebook and unfinished blog posts, and sometimes I end up with good things.

I write because I can't talk- not the way I want to. I am horribly clumsy in real life, and I can never say what I want to say. I tend to be pretty shy, and I could never stand up in front of a group. Yet here, I can talk with over 140 people and it doesn't phase me. In fact, I love it. It's the one place I can go without stage fright. But it's not a stage- it's a community of amazing people who have truly become wonderful friends.

I write because it's a history I'm creating. I love being able to go back in time. I love looking at myself in my writing from years ago, and seeing where life has taken me. It's the greatest form of a time capsule. It's kind of a way to be immortal. It's a grand mirror.

I write to read. I write to learn. There are so many people I have so many things in common with, and it's good for me to remember I'm not an island and I'm not alone. There is nothing new under the sun- what I think is completely surprising or insurmountable is something one of you has already gone through. There's a huge comfort in that.

I write because it makes me reflect on so much I would otherwise miss. Blogging is especially good for this- a moment that could be so seemingly little can turn into a story. I can take a photo, remember the story that is built around it, and relive that little sliver of time.

I write because I have heartbreaks. For me, writing is the singular most healing thing I can do. It is better than any therapist. It is better than talking on the phone with someone and being unable to get the words out into something spoken. People like knowing things that are usually kept secret. It's a kind of reading someone else's diary feeling, coupled with similar situations that they've experienced.

I write because I have things I must say. I need someone to cry to about rough times. I need to hold up a picture of Amelia, share stories of her, and try to explain what that baby means to me. I need to share my joy when remarkable things happen. I need feedback. I need to whisper fears and worries and frustrations. I need to ask for advice when I am overwhelmed. I need to open my computer and see comments from people who have been where I have been and made it through.

And I write because of you.

Why do you write?


P.S. If you haven't read my first article on Wives in Bloom, or my latest article on Homefront United Network, be sure to check them out.