I write because it eases my mind. All those pesky thoughts rushing around my head creating confusion and discombobulating my day pour onto the page, and what a relief it is to let them go.
I write to get it all out of my system. The irritation and upset that woke me at 2am is eased and sleep returns for the rest of the night.
I write because everything is impermanent and there are some things I want to remember.
Such as the sounds of the water from the recent rain tumbling over stones and rushing through streams and river banks. As this is a phenomenon we have not encountered for the last three to four years in the Alentejo, I want to capture it in my mind’s eye and words help me do that.
I want to remember the sweet and the sour, the kind or the hurtful, and clear my mind of what can or cannot be done or undone, and find some solace there.
I want to remember people and places, moments and kindness. Remember where I’ve come from and notice how I’ve changed, both the good and the bad.
I want to surf the waves of life without too many crashes and writing about it helps me to see where to hold my balance, how to modify my technique and when to hang on.
I write because I like to keep in touch. The art of a brief email is something I have yet to master!
I write to share a story, an emotion, or a conflict. I write to learn, to paraphrase and appreciate. I write because I can and because I love the fluidity of words, their shape and size, their space on the page, the way they convey meaning; truth or lies, authenticity or superficiality; all are captured in words.
Photo by Dariusz Sankowski on Unsplash