Sharing my feelings and thoughts has always been a struggle. Keeping everything bottled up inside was the easiest thing to do. A lot of it stems from the feeling of weakness if I shared how I felt, and some of it truly just not knowing how.

A recent realization that opening up that bottle, that once closed so tight, is the best way to let everything go and move on. And writing out those feelings and sharing them with those around me has been liberating.

The Odyssey Online has given me a chance to explore my thoughts and emotions in a way I never deemed fit for me. Growing up, writing was never something I had enjoyed. Writing was always an assignment, a force that had to be done a certain way or else I would receive a bad grade. But now, writing is, well, writing.

From writing about the passing of my dog to sharing things I had held in for so long, to meals you can make with Thanksgiving leftovers, writing has transformed into something I enjoy. This newfound opportunity has helped me in such positive, unexpected ways.

Once someone who kept everything in, I find comfort in sharing my feelings with the world. No longer does it feel like a burden to be vulnerable. We all have our flaws. Being a part of such an enormous, influential platform, that is something I have finally come to realize. Reading others' work, I know I am not alone in my battles.

Being an Odyssey creator has helped tremendously with how I write. Most of my work for school was bland and cookie cutter material. Allowing fluidity and passion into writing has given life to my work. There is a confidence now in writing that I never experienced before. Everything I do may not be perfect, or even close, but it is real and it is me.