Travis the Writer

Comfort

When people are sad they go to what they go to their safe place to kill the stress. To a lot of people that means "comfort food", sleep, video games, or the gym. These things aren't about the action itself,  but routine and special memory. You ever been on a walk? I don't mean a jog to burn calories. Sometimes you just need a walk to think, to feel comfort. The scene is beautiful: seeing the old streets of our childhood, music in our ears, and sweet memories in our mind. If you walk like this, you don't walk with a destination. That's how I'd like to think of life.

Writing is like those walks. Sometimes you just need to write because there's nothing else to do. You've tried everything else and come up missing something. A lot of things in life seem so impermanent. The pleasure is just for the moment. You'll get your kicks for a bit, but then what? The older I get, the more I realize this truth: everything designed for entertainment, every gadget and goohicky, will just be replaced in the market in about a year. There will always be a newer model iPhone. There will always (unfortunately) be a new Call of Duty. Even the hottest sports car will become obsolete before long. Eventually it will all end. You'll be disappointed if you become attached to physical and temporary pleasures. Yet, even still, many people come and go. People you felt strongly about. People become distant and sometimes pass away entirely. When I reflect on life, I go for a walk in my mind. I find my happy place - and write about it. It is my source of comfort.

I spoke before about connection and writing to an audience. It is equally important I think to maintain a private journal (or diary as some call it). Do so to bottle up comfort and treasure it. If you record your feelings, your true feelings, they won't get lost or forgotten. You might want to forget your pain, but it's healthy to see where you've been - to see the your triumph over life. It's important to see the love and loss your younger self held so deeply. Perhaps you still cling to them. We cannot be satisfied in the material, but we can find comfort in the past, if we honestly record it. There will certainly be tough memories and things that bring us to tears. Break-up, financial struggle, and death are never easy to bring to mind. But we need the right perspective. Let the past be the past. Write honestly, but write with the future in mind. You cannot change the past, you can change you.

Many people believe they cannot change their situation. Everything may seem hopeless. The world may seem against you. I don't know you or your life, but I know things will get better. It seem bold to claim every tragedy has a redemption. It's true though. It starts with you. The future is always bright, but too often we hide our heads in the dirt. We are scared of being hurt again, of being embarrassed, and of failure. It doesn't have to be that way.

Find comfort. Find the vantage where you can see the rays of sunshine. God doesn't not leave us to climb the mountain of life alone. We all carry our load, our own baggage. Personally, I write it down. I jot down the anger, fear, and sadness I feel. I burn my emotions into a word processor. They are for me to look back on months and years from now. I hope to see I've changed or somehow gained peace and understanding of my struggles. A journal is not for anyone but me, because who would really understand it? I share a lot of things with close friends, but many issues are just my own. Sometimes I don't even know I feel about some thing. Rather, I don't know how to process it. I cannot find the words, unless I write them out. I cannot understand who I am, unless I tell myself in writing.

How do I really know life will get better for everyone? I have faith that if people read and write more, they will become better writers naturally. If you're an experienced writer, you'll find the right words to make life better. You can express yourself and process how you feel. Some people may draw and paint. There is beauty in that. A picture is worth a thousand words. I like writing because I can create the picture in my mind. Every written story has a unique impact on the reader. I may try to write to draw out an emotion or memory, but I don't know my readers and what words will trigger their connection. I only know myself really. Thus, when I write to myself in a journal I feel more control - I know what the words will do to me. They are my words.

What are your words? Have you found them? They may be your comfort. You don't have to live in the dirt. If feel no one understands you, embrace that! You know who you are! You are created special. Your words are special to you. You can share them with the world, but find comfort in that your mind is your world. It is a beautiful world. No one can hurt you in your journal, which is the soul reflection of your world. That is, no one can hurt you but you! There is power in the right words. Choose them wisely. The future is bright if you write it so.