I cannot tell you how many times I get a shocked, amused, or even mocking response when people discover that I spend a good amount of my time writing. These reactions become even more dramatic when the person in question learns that I write **gasp** because I like to.

I guess these reactions are pretty understandable; to some writing is as tortuous a process as anything involving numbers is to me, and I can hardly picture someone sitting down and doing math for fun let alone understand it.

That being said, it's important to remember that writing, unlike math, is a form of art, a type of self expression. This fact is often concealed by our traumatic memories of the hundreds of tedious papers we have been forced to write and hand in for a subjective grade, yet it remains true.

If you're anything like me, you have about 100 different thoughts flying through your head at any given time. I have ADD and, although mine is a pretty mild case, this means my mind is about as hyperactive as my mouth is. I am not kidding when I say that sometimes I give myself headaches from thinking so much! This is where writing comes in. Getting all the thoughts out of my head onto paper -or onto an Odyssey article- provides almost instant relief. From to-do lists to journal entries, writing helps me slow down and clear my mind so that I am able to focus and look at the bigger picture, something that is often hidden by the constant real of observations, ideas, and memories playing in my brain.

Also, writing helps me cope with my overwhelming nostalgia. I am one of those people who likes to hold on to everything for fear of forgetting certain memories. I do not handle big life transitions well -such as the one I am going through now as my last year of high school comes to a close- because, in my mind, the beginning of something marks the end of something else, and that permanency scares me. Writing is again my savior. Taking photos is a great way to ensure you hold on to certain memories, but in my opinion writing about them is even better because you record the memory from the inside out. By reading my old journals I can re-live exactly what it felt like when I met my best friends 7 years ago, when I graduated middle school 4 years ago, and when I got into college two months ago.

Finally, my writing gives me a voice. Don't get me wrong, I am FAR from being afraid to share my opinion in person; if anything, I am too comfortable doing so. However, there is a big difference between debating in a class room or around a dinner table and creating something that explains how you feel and why you feel it and then sharing this something with others. For some this 'something' might be painting, dancing, or even taking photos, but for me it's writing.

So, to those who simply don't understand why I do what I do, I hope this article helps. Everyone has something they do that is theirs, whether it be an art, a sport, or any other hobby. They do it because, whether they realize it or not, it helps them in some way. In my case, it helps me make better sense of the world and what my place is within it.