Don’t ask me why, but writing seems to be good for everyone, even for those of us who feel we don’t read or write well. Just the mere exercise of putting your thoughts down on paper is good for one’s mental health and is the reason why, years ago, I started writing my life’s story. At the time, I titled my little autobiography, “Why to Go to College … NOT.”
Like many, I struggle with reading. I do it, but I am slow at it. That is why no one is more shocked than me when I say I have been writing a blog since 2004. It wasn’t because I wanted to. Oh, no; it was pressure from my marketing department, who wanted me to share flag industry news, business tips, and my ever-changing, risky life as a small business owner.
Never to back down from a challenge, I wrote my first funny blog post in January 2004. Thanks to Microsoft Word, it’s readable. And again, thanks to Word, I began to learn about grammar, sentence structure, and spelling. Through this new, burdensome responsibility, I also came to learn of the psychological benefits of writing. I mean, why keep all those pent-up thoughts running around in your head, when you can just write them down and be done with it? Journaling, even if it is for your eyes only, is a wonderful practice.
Still Writing
Having learned the simple, self-soothing technique of writing, it came as no surprise, when I heard I had a rare form of Melanoma, that I pulled out my unfinished book and started writing again. Nothing like facing your mortality to make you want to reflect on what you have done and what you have left undone. We are all just one lifetime away from losing generational knowledge.
I’ve tried to think who might be interested in reading my book, and I am not sure of anyone. I have no hook, no revelation, nothing different from any other 60-year-old entrepreneur, mother of four, who’s married to a man 10 years younger than her, and loves renovating old buildings. Oh yeah, and soon to be a cancer survivor, who is thinking about running for mayor of Little Rock.
So, I continue.
Thanks, in part, from the encouraging words of Mark Carter, who interviewed me for the AMP article and Marsha, my Monday night drinking/dining buddy, who renamed the book “Unfurled.” I like that title a lot.
