One Year and The Top Ten Things I Have Learned.

So, it has been a year since I started this blog. Personally, I like to think I have learned a lot from the exercise. So, what have I learned?

1. It is okay to use my voice in my writing. I guess the alternative would be using someone else’s voice and who needs that? 
2. I think my excessive use of commas is improving… oh, and I don’t use as many … and — . hehe. By the way, I am not losing the italics or the parenthesis; I love them. 
3. I have given myself permission to be honest in my writing. I can share my experience, and it really does not matter how other people feel about it. I can be unapologetically me. What a nice change of pace. It really got old, all the apologizing for being myself. People either like me or they don’t. I don’t worry about it as much anymore. 
4. I still have a lot to learn about grammar. Damn, I wish I had paid more attention in school. I thought it was all so boring. Now I watch YouTube videos about punctuation in my free time. If only Mrs. Roe could see me now. 
5. My friend (the one I affectionately call Lil’ Bro) does not like lists. I am just throwing this in here to see if he is reading this. 
6. I really want to be a writer. It turns out, googling How to be a writer is extraordinarily not helpful. 
7. I need to proofread more. Yeah, no promises. I am probably still going to fail at this.
8. I love words. Finding new words and figuring out how to use them is way too much fun. It has helped combat my sense of ennui. See what I did there? 
9. I see the world a little differently. I am paying more attention, and finding potential story lines. Why else would I name a random raccoon Bandito Del Toro and a green cricket Buddy Hoppy? Seriously. 
10. Perfection is not required. This has been a really good lesson for me. I used to avoid anything I could not do perfectly. Now, I enjoy the process so much more. I don’t have to wait until I figure it all out. I can live and write now. I can do the best I can, and that is enough. 

It has been a year since I started this blog. I am growing as a person and I can see the changes in every aspect of my life. I am happier, healthier, and becoming a better person. I still have so much to learn and I am so grateful. Life is good today.

So, Happy Birthday to my blog.