I Should, I Can, I Will

  It’s always been so easy to give up on my writing by thinking that whatever I had to say had already been said by someone else far better than I could say it. But if that was true, we would not still be writing about topics as old as humankind such as murder, jealousy, bigotry, courage, love, parenthood and all the emotions they invoke. The uniqueness of a story’s plot may hold our interest but what makes it meaningful is that our stories connect us to each other. It’s humanity's common ground regardless of our particular circumstances. Our narratives are mirrors, operating instructions, ancestral memories, cautionary tales. As the brilliance of a diamond is reflected in its numerous facets, the universal truths of our existence are reflected in the many lenses of our individual perspectives.  Each telling unfolds a new layer of self. It creates a safe space to intimately share the experience of the other in the imaginary world on the page.

   To withhold my story is not an act of humility. It's selfish. I believe that each of us has a responsibility to add our story to the human record. What ever way we are drawn to tell it, be it as a writer, an artist, a teacher, a parent, a friend, we can be certain that we have also been given the talent and ability to share it. With each story we are reborn, a little wiser, more compassionate, more courageous more inspired. I may not feel comfortable putting myself out there to be judged, critiqued, ignored or laughed at, but that’s my ego. My heart knows that the reason I write is to reach out to others with my life experience and to let them know they are not alone.