The One about This Blog.

Tribute to Thanksgiving #17: "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." - Benjamin Franklin

You'll notice that my last few posts have been relatively short; I have to admit that I haven't been as gung-ho about putting in as much time as I usually do in order to post everyday. A lot of the time I even find that I don't quite finish a post and decide to post it the next day instead.

It's harder than I thought it would be.

But that aside, and certainly more significantly, this blog is a real blessing. Of course I've said that before... only because I mean it. A sweet friend made several very nice coments to me about my blog recently that really got me thinking about it.

I'm not really a public speaker. I never have been. I tend to freeze up a bit when I'm put on the spot to improvise something. I say "uhm" and "like" and "uhh" and "so" a billion times throughout a presentation or a speech or an interview or anything ad-libbed, really. It's just not my thing. But give me a script to read or memorize or a song to sing and those fears go away. I used to think that made me unoriginal... and then I realized that writing is just my form of expressing my thoughts; it's my comfort. I understand that people just work differently; their brains simply function a little bit differently. And that's okay; that's exactly what makes the world go 'round.
I don't know when I became so engrossed in writing. Maybe it's the perfectionist nature I've accrued in my 24 years that started it. I remember being very interested in the writing part of the state tests as far back as the third grade. I used to want to be a writer. In fact, I used to write short stories and poems in junior high that I would spend hours trying to perfect. I'm obsessed with grammar and punctuation. Anyone who knows me (or reads this blog, hopefully) knows that I'm a stickler for grammar, spelling and tidiness in presenting what I have to say, whether it be via text, chat/instant message, assignments, letters... I use commas, apostrophes, question marks, exclamation marks, accents, ellipses, etc. It's actually fun for me to edit a paper. It's fun for me to find new way to use punctuation. Of course I make mistakes, but if I can edit them, I absolutely will.

This blog seems to satisfy my writing urges. It gives me incredible closure on issues that I might not have otherwise stated. It gives me a chance to write the things that I maybe couldn't say.

It's my outlet, my little safe haven, and I am exceptionally grateful that it's here for me to use.