Thank you for your kind response. Your words mean so much.

And blessings and thanks to you, too, Joy.

Linda, sounds as wonderful a reason as any. I feel the same way. Beautifully shared, by the way. 🙂

When my grandfather was 100 yrs old he was interviewed by a reporter from the local newspaper. The inevitable question was asked, “what is the secret of living to be one hundred?” My grandfather’s answer was something close to “There is no secret. I didn’t know I had a choice; I woke up breathing every morning so I pulled on my pants, put on my shoes, and did what I needed to do.”

For me, that is the “secret” of why I write. I wake up breathing, the words come. The choice to not write is
the equivalent of not getting out of bed and getting dressed. I have made the
choice of not letting the words out and some of the lessons I’ve learned are;
When I write, the world just
makes a lot more sense. I am less critical of others, more positive in my
thoughts, more sure of who I am and much more fun to be around.
When I write the world is a
less scary place, cookies taste better and people are much more interesting and likeable.
When I write I feel the inside
of me fill up with satisfaction and understanding and a sense of purpose. When
I write life is just so much richer and fulfilling.
When I don’t write my arms
ache for the flow, my brain is clogged and coherent thoughts are difficult. I
find myself becoming increasingly critical and judgmental. I lack perspective
and walk around with an incompleteness that interferes with every part of my
life.
Maybe these aren’t as
altruistic as leaving a legacy or steering peoples thoughts, writing the great
American novel, etc., but they are the reasons I write. I wake up breathing,
I have to.

Katina, I read your post and I love it. Seems great minds do indeed think alike. Here’s a quote from your post which sums up my post as well:

“Finally, I have to admit, I am writing because this ego of mine yearns to leave something of me behind, before it’s gone.”

Thank you, Katina!