“Why are you a writer?” That dreaded question I get asked at dinner parties, work, or any situation where I dare utter the ‘w’ word. I believe wholeheartedly that anyone and everyone can be a writer. All you need is a laptop and a train of thought... or if you are like me, a pen, a crumpled, stained composition book, and some sort of inspiration. But yes, we are all writers. Each and every single one of us has a unique and personal story- something that sets us apart.
These personal stories can open us up into discussions, insights, and thoughts that we would have never stumbled upon alone with our own subconscious. That’s what I love about the human brain. We all process, think, imagine, and brainstorm in different ways. I am astounded upon hearing some of my peers’ stories. Awestruck by their courage, maturity, strength, and pure willpower to stay afloat keeps my own wheels turning. There are so many things that you would never know about another person when first meeting them. You would never know how Becky from the office Christmas party had been struggling with anorexia for two years or how Jim from your eight am math class had lost his mother at a young age to suicide unless you truly sat down and listened.
Writing and being a writer isn’t all about telling your own story. It’s also about making sure that other’s stories are heard. When I was a senior in high school, my school’s leadership program hosted a “Stories We Tell” dinner where the senior leaders would tell their stories in leadership. I remember sitting in that hot, crowded, gymnasium thinking about how awesome my peers were and how I would never have known all of the cool things they had done without them expressing their stories.
Stories can be heartbreaking and heart-mending at the same time. I also remember during my senior year of high school leadership hearing my fellow leaders share some struggles in their lives at our monthly meetings. While I know their hearts broke as they shared, I would also feel my own heart beat in unison with theirs. When someone shares something so personal and becomes so vulnerable to you, it creates a connection. That person is no longer Becky from the office or Jim from eight am math class. They are a human being. That is the power of storytelling.
Back to why I write. I write to share stories. Whether it be my own or one of a close friend or even a stranger, I believe that all stories lived are worth telling. When looking back across thousands upon thousands of pages of journals from my past, the entries that stick out the most are those that are stories. Funny stories, sad stories, joyful stories, fearful stories, and even stories written from the pit of depression, they are all equally special and unique. Each story pulls on a different heart string and pulls a group closer. That is what I intend to do here. My intention is to tell not only my story of struggle, joy, faith, and perseverance. I also wish to share those stories of everyday people that I meet. Stories have the power to turn people into humans and connect across cultures. This is why I write. To free myself from the confines of the mundane and the closed off. Writing opens doors, minds, fingertips, and most important of all, writing opens up people and allows them to be accepted.
