Freedom

One of the things that I've really come to realize recently is how much I enjoy writing. I've found that with each passing day I come appreciate the opportunity ever more. I think it is largely because in writing I find a certain amount of freedom. A freedom to say whatever I want. A freedom to be who I am. A freedom from non-verbals. A freedom to be heard.

I am working on a suspicion that it is this last one that drives me most. It is my hunch that I don't often feel in life like I am being heard. I spend a lot of life just listening, and I love it very much. I also have a lot to say, and as I'm sure you've seen by now it can take me a while to rev up to finally saying what it is I want to say. Consequently when I am face to face with people we often get side tracked and by the time it is my turn to talk again the opportunity is lost to return to what I wanted to say. So I begin with something new and again I get interrupted. When I write at least I know that the paper, or the screen, that I am writing on has to listen. For somebody to reply they have to read what I have said, you have to "listen" before responding, which is easier to not do when we are face to face. When I write the non-verbals like tone of voice and body language are eliminated and we are left with the plain, simple words that have been written, the words are what they are.

So I write... and I feel free.... for I have been heard.