I am the youngest of six, but I didn't really grow up with my brothers in the house. That means that while I was growing up, I had to fight at least three other mouths for words and listening time. I was a chill child of few words, and I was a bit of a loner, too. Let's face it, I had a lot less drama in my life than my sisters. The guys in my life were only friends, and I went outside to be with the animals when I was frustrated or couldn't sort through the words in my head to properly describe my feelings. I sound like a lot more of an angsty child than I really was, come to think of it. Anyways, I just mean to say that I didn't get all that much attention when it came to talking, and I was okay with it. However, as time went by, I had more to say. I started not being okay with not having much time to speak, so I turned to writing.

I am still a person of few words, but I like talking, though it sometimes gives me anxiety. Even though I am quick in responding, it takes me a while to form my thoughts into words. The time it takes me to mentally prepare myself to tell a story is probably longer than it should be. I guess I'm just a little self-conscious on how I sound when I speak. I also have a lot of thoughts in my head, which makes sorting out the thoughts to keep in and the thoughts to speak out a little difficult. It's as if I edit what I'm saying as I say it. Writing gives me time to sort through those thoughts; it's a slower pace, and I can mull over the words I put down when I write.

I am a visual learner, so a lot of what I do is based on what I see. Being able to actually see the words I am writing or typing helps me to make sentences that turn into paragraphs, followed by papers. I would rather write a paper than give a presentation any day. As stated above, I tend to start editing what I say while I am saying it. When I write, I can put down my thoughts, then edit them. It's a better way of communicating for me.

Since I don't say much, I am left with many other thoughts that are held captive in my head. I do not feel comfortable sharing my feelings or thoughts with a lot of people, and even then, I do not tell those select few all of those thoughts and feelings. My journal or writing notebook gets to hear all of the things I conceal from others. You could say writing is my therapy because it allows me to clear my head of all the things I keep in there as I shamelessly plague their pages with the good and ugly sides of myself.

Writing for Odyssey almost every week allows me, a reserved and somewhat introverted person, to put my thoughts out there for others to read. This is on my own time at my own pace. In fact, Odyssey forces me to put a piece of myself out there on a schedule. I am ever so thankful.