I spoke last week, in a vague way, about the enjoyment and value of reading. This week I would like to speak on that of writing. I have enjoyed words to some extent since I was very young. My oldest and fondest memory was when I realized I could read. I have no way of dating this memory, it just falls foggily at the beginning of my conscious life, grouped together with a few other memories of the same era. I am sitting in a dining room chair that I dragged into the living room, a Cinderella children's story in my lap. I stared for a while, not being able to figure it out, until one by one the words snapped into place. I was so exuberantly proud of myself. In this same bubble of time falls a photo of me reading a book to my older sister of 2 years. It is safe to say that words have always been a part of my life. In first grade my teacher told me I had a talent for it, I often wonder what sort of cosmic impact this left on me, and she gave me a separate list of words for our spelling test. The first “long” word I ever learned how to spell was “different” and I still remember the fifth grader who taught it to me. Every word I have ever learned has remained with me ever since, same as every word read.
Fast forward to now. At the ripe age of sixteen, and never more sure of my calling, I find myself wondering about where I would be without language. Thus far, speech has guided me in every aspect of my life, and hopefully it will looking forward as well. With hopes of being a writer professionally, in theory my livelihood is reliant on people understanding the importance of words. For me that value lies in release. Writing is a feeling incapable of being forged. I well and truly have never felt more at peace than in the moments after I have finished writing something. Be it from an academic standpoint, happy to have something off my plate, or from the clarity of separating yourself from whatever you just put down on paper. Writing is more than a financial means or political machine. It is for the person, and I encourage everyone to write. Keep a diary, keep a journal, and keep your passion.