Thanksgiving & New Years for a Writer

That's the first time, according to my memory, that I've called myself a writer. I'm not sure I feel as if I deserve it, but what is a writer other than one who writes? I write, I enjoy writing, I'm a writer. It feels good.

Certain holidays seem to promote certain values, actions, or ways of thinking. Thanksgiving-well, it's obvious-encourages us to all give thanks and be more appreciative of what we have in our lives. Christmas urges us to give more than we receive. The promise of a new year often makes us look back on the year we've had, and make a list of the things we want to improve for ourselves. The list goes on and on (Lent, giving up indulgences; 4th of July, patriotism), but you get the point, I'm sure.

These days marked off on our collective calendars represent good values and habits that we should exhibit throughout the year (wearing a costume and going door-to-door on a daily basis, however, is not something I'd advocate).

I'd like to first give thanks. Musicians, athletes, actors, and other professions, often make it a point to thank their fans. I have readers that I would like to thank. Even if you don't read this on a regular basis, I appreciate the time you take out of your busy day to ponder my thoughts.

Until recently, I knew of only one person who reads these posts, JoMo. In the past two days, coincidentally, two different people (Dana, Amanda) revealed that they do, on occasion, read what I have to say. I only knew about Joe because he's the only one who comments regularly (or at all, until recently). This brings me to my next point; I oftentimes write these posts hoping to spark a thought in the mind of someone who reads them. If I've caused a spark, I urge you to comment! I don't intend to sound pushy, but it means a lot to me when I hear that someone read and enjoyed what I wrote. I want this Blog to be an open conversation between myself and the reader (at least be appreciative that I'm starting the conversation). It means a lot to me to know that people are reading, and if I cause a particular reaction or thought, I'd like to know what it is. Keep in mind that you can comment anonymously; I want to know what people thought when they read what I wrote, not who thought it (though that's an added bonus, of course). Again, thanks for reading, it means a lot, I only wish I'd known.

Now time for my New Year's Month's Resolution: To continue to write more. I find myself inspired to write a lot, but for some reason discouraged or unwilling to do so. Joe told me I should go for six posts this month, one more than last month. I responded saying that I'm not going to set a quota, and I'm not, but it would be nice to continue to write a nice pace like this.

Bridging these two ideas, I'd like to point out that knowing that people read what I write only encourages me to write more. I think it would be fair to argue that without Joe, there would be very few posts on this Blog. He encouraged me to start up my writing again, and still pushes me to get writing on an almost-daily basis. It's this kind of encouragement that keeps me writing. Thanks Joe for, among countless other things, relentlessly reminding me to keep the pen in my hand.

Well, I have class in 5 hours. Thanks once more the support, and hopefully there will be more to come in the near future.