How I grew to love words

Though I have had a passion for writing for as long as I can remember, I didn't find a love for reading until middle school and the idea of public speaking terrified me until late in high school. One Christmas while I was in grade school, I received a journal. I loved the idea of writing down my thoughts. I filled it with reflection of my day, poems, and commentary on what was happening in the world around me. In middle school, I was a bit rebellious (as all young teenagers are to some degree). One of my teachers had a poster hanging in the room that listed books that had been banned by one group or another. I saw this list as a personal challenge. I went straight to the library and checked out a copy of Catcher in the Rye. After that experience, reading became my second love. Public speaking was a completely different animal. I wasn’t afraid to talk in front of a crowd… I was terrified! Standing in front of a classroom, I would freeze and forget every word of the sonnet that I had spoken perfectly an hour earlier. Hives would breakout on my arms and my throat would close up. I has heard that the best way to conquer a fear was to face it head on. My solution was to try-out for community theater. Knowing other people were depending on me meant that I couldn’t chicken out. I did it! Writing is my therapy, reading is my escape, and public speaking is my triumph.