To the one who got me writing…

I must explain to you the significance of where I am today. Today, I am pursuing a career in writing and/or some form of communication and looking forward to the job I may have in that field. Today I am writing, not just as a way to relieve my stress or for an assignment I dread for a class, instead for fun, and almost as a job. Today I am in a better place than when you first made the suggestion. All of this I can thank you for.

I came to you for advice and help as I always have, and you told me how you started to write and felt it helped get the point across. Being a person that I trust, I tried your technique and soon enough, I had a piece of writing I wanted to share with the world. I had a piece of writing I was proud of, one of the very few things I took pride in at that point. I went ahead and kept writing, sometimes about how I was feeling, other times to relieve stress that was building up in my life. Since that first piece I wrote, I have written 10 pieces that have been published, including this letter to you. Those 10 articles would never have happened if it weren’t for your suggestion and advice. I also would most likely still be looking at a career in marketing if you never suggested writing. I have been offered 2 different jobs, writing for upstart websites thanks to you telling me to write.

You are more than just the person who helped me start writing. You have been one of my best friends for the last nine years. I can come to you with anything and everything. You are always brutally honest, even when writing in my high school yearbook that there was a time you thought I wouldn’t graduate. Without your help and honesty, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be WHO I am today. Granted, if you didn’t break your arm back in 6th grade, who knows where all this would have ended up, maybe we wouldn’t be friends. People will say, “Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them but you know they are there.” And you are without a doubt a star not just to me but to your other friends as well. Over the 9 years we have been friends, you have kept your circle of friends mostly the same since 4th grade. You are loyal to those you care about which is something most people aren’t.

You are one of a kind and there is no doubt about that. I am glad you are a part of my life. Thanks to you, I now hear people tell me, “I love your writing!” Or “That was a really good article.” And hearing things like that just makes a person feel better about themselves. I guess what I’m trying to say with this is thank you. Thank you for being you.