Writing Changed My Life

I can remember loving to write ever since I could string a sentence together. I grew up in a very dysfunctional and abusive environment. Writing became my escape, my therapy and ultimately my passion. At first it started as me just writing down my thoughts in a notebook. I would sit for hours on end letting my thoughts flow onto paper. This was during the days when computers weren't even a thing yet. I took actual pen to paper and wrote until my hands would cramp. I always had trouble verbally expressing myself so writing was my voice, even if I thought nobody was listening.

I can recall the very first time something I wrote had taken on a much bigger meaning than what I originally had meant it to. It was my last year of high school and my english teacher asked us to write a poem using the initials of our last name. I can still recite that poem to this day. Let me share it with you:

M - My luck is always bad

I - It makes me very sad

T - Tough luck the people say

C - cuz it happens every day

H - Happiness I will never know

E - Even as I grow and grow

L - Luck doesn't grow on trees

L - Luck I guess, just doesn't like me

I turned in my poem without giving it a second thought, to me it was just a completed assignment. A few days later the principal called me into his office. I thought for sure I must have been in trouble for something. Admittedly, I was a little lackadaisical when it came to turning in homework on time. I was so depressed and tired all of the time because of the constant abuse, I just couldn't motivate myself at times. Much to my surprise, the principal told me that the english teacher had sent my poem into a newspaper. Not only did I win a small prize but many strangers read it and sent me messages and books to the school for me. They sent self-help and motivational books like, "The Wendy Dilemma" and "The Magic of Thinking Big".

I broke down into tears. I felt completely overwhelmed with gratitude. Up until that very minute I had felt like nobody really cared about me. I had very low self-esteem and felt completely unseen. Now I had hope. I had hope that maybe things would turn around for me, maybe someone cared enough to get me some help. The principal who I thought for sure hated me for no clear reason, turned out to be the one person who wanted to help me. He called the school guidance counselor and set me up with counseling. From there, I started to see a therapist. I was finally able to get the help I needed and to break out of the cycle of abuse and dysfunction. I learned to use my voice through writing. I realized, people were actually listening.

Writing that poem changed my life. It set me on a positive path and changed my mindset about everything. I have written ever since. Although I grew up and decided to work in education and the behavior field, I still kept writing. I wrote for a few magazines, two of which I was lead writer. I wrote a positive living and self-help column and did several celebrity interviews. My niche was writing for Lifestyle and Entertainment. As you can see, I've never stopped writing. My writing went from a therapuetic poem to a part of my every day life. Now, when I recieve messages from people who have read things I wrote that helped them in some way, I smile. It makes me happy to know that something I wrote about made a positive difference in someone else's life. I'm continuely paying it forward. I am here to tell you, never give up on your passions and dreams. You are worth it.

That poem I wrote changed my life. It put me on a whole new path that allowed me to develop into a completely different person than what I was. Instead of always feeling weak, unheard and beaten down, I found a way to not only help myself but to help others. You never know when something you say or do might make a huge impact on someone else. I am grateful for the impact some of my writing has had on others and for the impact it has had on me. My therapuetic writing most definitely became my passion. I will never forget that monumental moment in my life, all because I wrote a poem that came straight from my heart.

Written by: Sue McGaughey