Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Why do I Write?

I was invited by fellow author, Blogger, Twitterer and MLB fan, Ellen Mulholland to discuss why I write.

I find it a difficult question to answer without sounding too much like a beauty pageant contestant asking for world peace and inner tranquility, but there's a lot of truth to that under the cheese.

I'm pretty busy. I have four kids aged 8 through almost 12 and a husband who acts like a kid. My are bright, funny, athletic and social and a great deal of my existence is invested in their development into professional athletes, politicians, musicians or socialites. It'll pay off, I'm sure, when they buy me that summer home on the ocean. Even though Steve's a very 'hands on' dad, there's still twice as many of them as there are of us... we're sorely out numbered.

I'm also an SLP. My paid job is rewarding. I work with fantastic families who want the best for their children and I love being a part of reaching those potentials. But it's not a job where I can leave work at the office. Even if I don't do paperwork, I spend time after hours problem solving, worrying, thinking about 'my kids' and how we can get another step closer to a goal.

I try to be community minded. I coach the kids when I think I know something about the sport (so baseball, not hockey). I try to participate in boards and committees and organizing of things that are worthwhile.

So my life is quite the hamster wheel. And please, don't misunderstand, I love it that way. I hate missing a game or practice, I hate not driving a kid somewhere and I don't miss if I can help it. I'm not a homebody, I like to be on the go. I'm terrible for multitasking... I can't tell you the last time I watched a movie without also plucking away at my computer and/or listening to a ballgame or something. But without balance, even though I love the hectic pace, it can get to be too much.

Writing forces me to stop.


It stops the frantic multitasking. It stops the thousand thoughts going a thousand different directions. It stops the worrying, the supposing, the brooding over things I can't change.

It helps me focus on the experiences and the feelings I've had, the things I've learned. It helps me process and understand what they mean and how they relate to the rest of the world. It helps me appreciate the uniqueness of what I have, who I am, who I'm blessed to be around.

Writing lets me ask 'what if' and explore other possibilities without giving up the awesome reality I live.

It makes me feel better, calmer, stronger, more still in the way I imagine exercise does for others. (I wish writing made me skinnier too, sadly it does not). I love writing way more than exercising anyway.

When I've spent time writing I'm a more conscious reader and a more thorough thinker. I'm a better mom and wife and a better friend. And I want world peace. :)

N

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