Writing

I came across a quote this afternoon that I wanted to share. :)

"We write to taste life twice: in the moment and in retrospection."
-Anais Nin, French diarist

I hear little quotes and sayings several times a day, and while I often find inspiration and insight in most of them, a set of words has to really impact me in a special way to make my "favorites" list. This just may be one of those quotes.

Ever since I was little, I've felt consistent urges to put pen to paper (or fingertips to keyboard) and just write. Whether it be fiction or a diary entry or a list or poetry or homework, I find joy in the simple art of writing. I've never had the explanation for these urges spelled out in such clear terms, though. I always thought writing was just my "thing." Some people are gifted in art, or music, or math. My gift comes in the form of writing.

We write to taste life twice.

Those words are so applicable to my life. Every now and then I start to wonder, why am I doing this? Why am I keeping a notebook full of the seemingly meaningless things that happen in my day-to-day life? Nobody aside from myself would ever be interested in reading this. If I'm going to take the time to write, surely I should aim to create something that can entertain and enrich the lives of others. Right?

Writing isn't always about giving to others, though. It's a great concept, but so is writing for YOU. Stringing together words that are for your eyes only is healthy and therapeutic and allows you to look back and smile at the little things that you wouldn't remember otherwise.

I love opening that Lisa Frank diary with a horse on the cover, written by six-year-old me, and being reminded of the color of the dress I wore one Sunday. Or what kind of cake we ate for my dad's 31st birthday. Or what TV show I was watching the day my baby brothers were sick. None of that can be classified as "valuable" information, per say, but there's no denying the sweet joy that comes with perusing old journals and diaries.

What I'm getting to is this: Although I adore writing fiction and would love to publish a book one day, I'm slowly but surely discovering the true reason why I write. It's for me. I'm a sentimental person who loves life and I don't want to forget a single moment. Years from now, when I'm old and senile, I want to be able to look through decades-old journals and diaries and remember all the tiny, insignificant details from my childhood. I want to always have the ability to re-live moments through my past writings.

Sure, there are monumental events in my life that I will always remember, whether I write them down or not: the births of my younger siblings, my high school graduation, my future wedding, and the births of any children I may have...

But the little things matter, too.