Today, I groggily awoke after a night of not enough sleep, and after hushing my alarm, I decided to check my Facebook feed. My "memories" tab came up, and the post that was highlighted was my first-ever Odyssey article. (Check it out here if you want.) Why was that coming up? And then, shaking off some of the drowsiness, I realized: It's been a year (as of this article's writing) since I began writing for Odyssey Online. This realization surprised me enough to wake me up almost immediately. Has it really been a full year? Have I seriously been doing one article a week for an entire year?

The answers: Yes. Yes, it has been a year, and yes, I have.

Taking a moment to write this article has really put it into perspective: I have written at least 52 articles. Before I started, I couldn't have even fathomed writing that much. But, when you put it in context, it makes a lot of sense.

Through Odyssey, I've been able to polish my skills as a writer. I've assembled a portfolio, in a way, of my writing. I don't care about the sharing mechanic, or the fact that I could be paid if my article is the most popular for the week. No: I write for Odyssey because I like to write for Odyssey, plain and simple.

I'm incredibly grateful for the fact that it has given me a place to share my opinion, hone my work, get used to deadlines, learn to write and edit on the fly, and to show my reviews. On Odyssey, I can write about whatever I want. It could be reviews, it could be poetry, it could even be videos (I'm still waiting to do one, to be honest--I just haven't had the time)! And that is an incredible thing.

Through Odyssey, I've gained a few new friends, and grown closer to my old ones. I've not only learned as a writer, but grown as a writer--and as a person, as well.

Even if it's only been a year, this platform has given me an excuse to write something that isn't an academic paper or class notes. It's been a source of stress-relief all year, whether it's in the summer, or during the semester. For that, I am grateful.

So, in short, I'd like to thank my local Odyssey team for being super awesome. I'd also like to thank you, dear readers, for continuing to follow my content. I'm honored that people like my articles, and sometimes even share them. To me, that mean the world.

So, thank you once again, Odyssey, for giving me a chance to hone my writing skills, to become a better writer, to make writing creative, personal, and editorial writing a part of my life once more. Here's to another wonderful year!