I write to process because at times my brain feels as though it will overflow. I write to make sense of the world and my every day life. I write because to-do lists fill my mind: farm chores, homeschool curriculum, social justice work, children’s activities, the daily news. I write because the information feels non-stop and I frequently find myself feeling lost and overwhelmed. I write to organize my thoughts and turn what was once chaos into actionable steps toward change. I write to make sense of the world that I live in, the world I grew up in, and the world that I want to see.
I write as a way to find my freedom, to release the pain and trauma that would otherwise isolate me. I write to find a way to heal, a way to find peace, a way to connect and remember that I am not alone. You are not alone. We are not alone. I write because all of us, each and every one, is capable of connection. I write because we can connect through our stories, our shared experiences and our journeys. I write because we do not have to suffer with pain by ourselves, it does not have to consume us. I write so that we can find peace together.
I am writing to you, people I will never know or meet, because for me personal connection is difficult, raw, alien. I am writing to you because trusting my story to an individual seems impossible. I know that not everyone who reads my story is deserving of trust and I know that they will not treat my story with care, but I also know that, within this audience, there exists an individual who is. I am writing so that I can find them and and to help them find me.