People don’t write enough.

We read to know we are not alone.  So why do we write?  I think we write to be more alone–to step apart from a demanding, noisy, busy, messy world, turn inward, and create a space of peace.  We get to know ourselves through writing.  We even occasionally surprise ourselves by what we write.  But in a world of constant input, much of it electronic, and most of it useless, writing affords us the chance to process the bits and pieces of information to transform them into a meaningful whole.  Writing makes life resonate and makes it stick.  It slows the furious flow of time and compels gratitude.  It gives importance to the smallest things, elevates the ordinary.  We usually focus on 5 or 6 things at once–writing keeps us centered on the letter emerging from our pen at that moment.

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