Being born was a traumatic event...
...but I quickly bounced back and became an avid reader by the age of three. This continued well into my adulthood, and it will probably never stop. Along with it came an insatiable love for words. (I mean, you could tell, right? Because I said insatiable? Oh my gosh, I'll stop.) Writing non-stop since my childhood, I'm sure you can see why I relate to Alexander Hamilton. "Why do you write like you're running out of time?" The answer? I have no idea, but I don't think I'll be stopping any time soon.
All my life I've had a passion for the arts--writing, books, music--that overflows into my life. I want to create, and that desire is almost all-consuming. If I'm not writing, I'm probably making something (like this website). And if I'm not doing that, I'm probably absorbing other things that other people have made. Creativity makes my life worth living. It's something I'm incredibly grateful for. |
"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for." ―Dead Poets SocietyOne reason I was so into writing and reading was because I was constantly plagued by headaches and fatigue, something that haunted me my entire life and haunts me to this day. It became known as fibromyalgia, which I was diagnosed with in 2010, and chronic migraines, which I was finally given an official diagnosis for in 2017. Without these physical ailments, I probably wouldn't have stayed inside so much and fallen so in love with stories. I also wouldn't have such a passion for speaking up about them and raising awareness about invisible illnesses.
Speaking of speaking up, another thing I'm outspoken about is mental illness. One thing that also started when I was young was my anxiety. It was like a constant dread hanging over me. It wasn't until I got older that I realized exactly what it was and had a word to assign to it. (We need to talk more about mental illness, folks.) Because of my experiences, I'm a strong advocate for reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness, and I believe strongly in recovery, mental health, self love, and self care. “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. What’s important is the action. You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it and eventually the confidence will follow.”
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“We of alien looks or words must stick together.” ― C.J. Sansom