Writing, writing

I went to my college's 25th reunion this last weekend. It was strangely and truly gratifying to see people from 25 years ago. I connected with some old classmates that I hope to stay in touch with, which was the best takeaway from this meeting.

One surprising result of the reunion was getting good feedback about my writing. Everybody from the class of 1987 was asked to write a biographical statement of sorts. Some wrote a lot, some wrote a little, but it ended up being a pretty big and beautifully put-together book (kudos to Keith Laezza for putting it together!). To my surprise, about a half dozen people said something nice about my six paragraph piece. They either said it was the best written biography in the book (some especially liked its humor)or enjoyed its refreshing honesty. This spontaneous response reminded me: "I need to write." I put off writing because of big goals (I want to write a pseudo-memoir or historical novel) or because of the time required to realize those big goals. In the end, I end up not writing at all. But, as a writer, if you don't write, you're not doing anything. So, I'm going to use this blog again to get started with writing. I hope to develop my voice this way as well as open up some possible avenues for bigger projects. But I hope to write -- more.

It's funny how this blog supplies a backdrop for this chapter in my life. The earlier entries come from the nadir of my separation from my now ex-wife Karen. I stopped writing when I could finally see some progress towards some happier times. I credit my family, my beautiful Arlington neighborhood and friends, and my dogged perseverance. I may be a lot of things, but not a quitter. Seeing my old classmates recently gives me hope for a bright future (perhaps it reminds me of the dreams I had for a rich life ahead in 1987) and inspires me to use writing to cultivate that life.

So here we go. See my next post for the short biography.