Most of the time we take this writing gig for granted.
We can pick up a pencil, sit down at our computers, and write whatever our little hearts desire.
Maybe it’s poetry that inspires thoughtful reflection. Or fiction that takes readers deep into a story and away from their own worries and cares for a while. Perhaps it’s prose that incites action or changes thinking.
Words are powerful tools, and yet we give them away so freely, especially now when we can toss words onto the internet and send them speeding around the world in a manner of seconds.
Of course it hasn’t always been that way, not even here in America where we celebrate free speech and a free press, both hard won by the men who framed our most famous piece of writing, The Declaration of Independence. Imagine the hours of thought and feather pen scratching that went into that document before it was presented to the world.
Now, 236 years later, we enjoy the fruit of their labor - the ability to write and read freely, without fear of legal recrimination. What a mighty opportunity that is, to share the written word with others.
Celebrate your freedom to write this Wednesday.
Use your words thoughtfully, carefully, and then proudly set them free.