Writing Changes me and the World around me

Writing Can Transform our lives:

I never imagined that writing could be an escape from my "reality," and much less did I imagine that some day my thoughts would be open to the world so everyone could see right through me. As a Mexican woman I love expressing myself (more through writing), I can be extremely emotional, that's why I can relate to many "tapatias" women from Guadalajara. As an ESL Teacher, I have contact with many great Mexican ladies and I've noticed the same pattern in them again and again. Many times women try to hide their feelings behind that "invisible mask," they don't express themselves because they dread peoples' reactions, especially their families judging them. At times they give up their goals and desires because they are too afraid to take the challenge or because they are afraid of someone else's critique. Many ladies have opened up themselves to me and dared to confess many things that they'd never even come close to expressing to anyone else because they don't want to be judged by the cruel mankind who sets society's standards so they conform to do what others"want them to become."Deep inside I can see where they're coming from and I can identify myself with them, as a little girl, I remember growing up with many taboos and high expectations, someone always feeling guilty about something, many limitations a lot of depriving the girls in the family , "don't do this because you are a woman and it's a sin." "a woman must not talk like that, what will people think of you?"In my early childhood I didn't have the slightest clue of how to express the way I felt when something "bad" happened to me or when I felt good about something, we never think about these things because it's human nature to always believe that "bad" things only happen to other people, we always deserve good things. When misfortune comes our way, we find ourselves surprised, confused, scared, angry, sad, frustrated, upset and all the negative vibes. So I turned to my diary, it became my best friend, more than a place to record daily events. It became the friend who was available 24/7, it was more than just a phone call away! it's been there all the time; it'll be my shadow through eternity and it'll never ever vanish. all I have to do is reach for it and it will come to me. The friend, the paper that it was made of has always been so ready and willing to accept anything and everything I've had to confide, my complaints, my ups and downs, my accomplishments, my frustration, my bad vibes, the adrenaline and energy every time I run a marathon, my good moments, my anger, those moments when I felt so lonely and empty, my friend always so willing to take what I've to say without putting up a wall between us or without ever going away, without judging me. At last I'd found someone who could handle my fear, my questions, the pressure I put on myself and others, my sadness. Since I discovered the beauty of writing it's been my escape and it will continue to be so until I cease to exist.When one can pour oneself on a great white emptiness and fill it out with thoughts and emotions and leave them there forever, when one can write an infinite number of beautiful words, the way those words can create a meaning and the way that meaning creates a destiny and the way that destiny dictates our lives. For many writers, writing has become a therapy for dealing with this tough journey called "life," a difficult truce in which many human beings give up because they can't handle it. It is perfectly ok to be afraid but what makes "you"different in this world, is how you handle fear. I've been terrified to hop out of bed every morning but fear has not stopped me from facing the world, overcoming all the obstacles I've had to come across and accomplish all my goals.We have to understand that life brings good and bad things, it makes us sad and happy in our own homes, within our families, in school, at work on the street. Sometimes we suffer because of many things over which we have no control, the shapes of our imperfect bodies, the color of our skin, poverty, our religion, politics, our family, our jobs, our love life. It can be easy to become a victim of our circumstances and continue feeling sad, angry and frustrated; or instead we can choose to deal with injustive humanely and break the chains of negative thoughts and energies and not allow ourselves sink into it. We have two options; live, learn and move on, or become prisioners of our own anger, skepticism and frustration, we have the choice to forgive and release all the bad feelings especially with the people we love. We have to learn to give up pride and stop hiding because it will get to us sooner or later. Troughout the years I've learned that writing about the things that happen to us allows us to look objectively at what's going on around us and turn negative experience into something positive and useful. This process requires a lot of work, effort, greatness, forgiveness, but is it possible? Certainly!Our paths can definitely be difficult at times but we can make them powerful and worthwile if we turn all that negativity into something good and even better teach others. This is what I share with "my ladies," my students, I encourage them to have a diary and express themselves, especially if they are afraid of others judging them. That way the release all the baggage they've carried for a long time. With some of them it's worked, with some of them "it hasn't."It does work for everyone. The point here is that for those who say it doesn't work, it's because they are afraid of their inner persoon inside them and they choose to run away from themselves, they put that "self" to sleep hoping it'll never wake up. It will. If you think you can run from others, stop and realize that perhaps the only being you are running away from, is yourself. One of the most important lessons life has taught me, is to face everything and everyone as much as I may dread doing it . Or I can choose to avoid it and I won't have inner peace. I'll always continue to question myself "I should've done this," How come I didn't show the people that I loved that I do care about them?"

Until the next time!