Writing for fun (try it)

  

    As a kid I spent so much time with my grandmother. I would go over to her house every weekend and we would lie on the porch swing, and she would tell me stories about her life, and she would tell me stories about the books she was reading. She would go into extreme detail about her books and when she would tell me stories it felt like I was reading the book with her. She always read a certain type of story; she preferred the absolute most emotional heart wrenching books that exist. I would say “grandma why don’t you read a story with a happy ending” and she would respond with “well that’s not how life works you don’t always get a happy ending, life isn't fair.” As rough as that sounds it honestly taught me a valuable lesson. Some of the kindest people I know have had the hardest lives, but they still find the willpower to keep going and treat everybody with the kindness that they wish they had received. 

     When I got older, the stories of her life became more intense and more grown up than I had expected. She had experienced the loss of two brothers along with being neglected as a child because of her family's grief. One day she had mentioned she wrote a poem when she was struggling as a 14-year-old, which was how old I was at the time. We ran upstairs and she dug through her nightstand and pulled out tons of letters, poems, and entries. The writings were extremely depressing but oldy relatable. As a young girl it feels like nobody understands what you are going through or what it feels like. Seeing my grandmother being the same age as me having the same feelings forty years ago made me feel normal and understood. Sharing something so valuable with me was inspiring. I could not imagine sharing my inner thoughts with anyone, let alone writing them down and making them so permanent.  

    The way she smiled while reading her own writing inspired me to start writing a journal. She wrote mostly when she was sad, but she looked back on those poems with such a gentle heart, grateful that she had overcome her challenges. The older I got the more life I experienced. The only thing that got me through that time in my life was reading and writing. Writing was how I could express myself privately and creatively. Nobody had to read it or criticize me over it. I hope to continue reading and writing as I get older and hopefully inspire other individuals to do the same. Someday, I would like to share my writing even if it is just with my future granddaughter. I look at reading and writing differently than I used to, it improved my mental health so much. I read and write for fun and genuinely enjoy it and I would encourage everybody to read and write for enjoyment not just work.