Write. I Do Not Like.

I’ve never enjoyed writing.  Or reading for that matter either.  I’ve struggled with both since I was in grade school.  I was always a math and science person.  I like numbers and concrete ideas.  In high school I excelled in my math classes and loved my chemistry and physics classes.  English, not so much.  

I went back and forth on what I would pick as a college major but I knew it would be in the science field.  It started as meteorology, then geology, then natural resource management, and eventually back to geology.  I thought majoring in science would eliminate a lot of reading and writing.  

During my senior year at Rutgers I was enrolled in Field Geology, the final class I needed for my major.  A large portion of the semester grade depended on two things - a geologic map and an accompanying paper.  I completely stressed over the paper.  And when I got it back from the TA, I nearly had a melt down.  He pulled me aside and asked “how did you get this far in life writing like this”.  

I will never forget those words.  My TA spent a lot of time with me that semester, organizing and rewriting my final paper.  I somehow managed to pull off an acceptable grade and still make Dean’s List.  Since then, I’ve written two Master’s theses, co-authored published papers (well, they used my data at least), and reviewed countless reports for environmental consulting firms and the Environmental Protection Agency.  And yet, I still consider writing as one of my biggest insecurities.

I sing and dance every day for high school students.  I get up in front of the classroom And yet putting words on paper (or screen) gives me anxiety.   My blog was a way for me to try to overcome this insecurity. With my race season coming to a close, I will still try to write - perhaps tell stories or share experiences.   I may not have the wittiest posts or most creative, but I’m doing something that challenges me.  Writing.