I have an iconic photo of a baby on a desk strewn with papers and a typewriter while the mother sits cross-legged underneath.

It’s the real story of my life!

I was also that baby on the desk—born with a book quickly placed in my hands and forever in my heart. My mother loved me with books.

As far back as I can remember, I wanted to write and escape into literary landscapes. The characters were as real as the people in my life. I did this escape often as well as drawing and musical soothing.

I soothed my mind and soul with art.

With maturity and growth, I told myself to shake off the desire to write for a living. I had to grow up for I had responsibilities when others were out enjoying life.

At the age of 24, I was a mother and at 42 a grandmother.

Life happened fast and I wrote on.

The truth is writing is my special place, one in which I can go anywhere and anytime. It is my calm place, a sweet sanctuary in a chaotic world. It is something that no one can take away from me. It is a blessing and a joy.

Writing has remained a constant in my life and now at 48 years of life, I have a fair share of life experience to write about. This is one of the joys of growing older.

There are so many perks to living a life as a writer and we aren’t for the faint of heart.

If you feel the calling, it is futile to repress it. In the end, a writer needs to write as much as they need to eat and sleep. It is a dose of medicine for the mind-body and spirit.

Darling, if you are a writer, celebrate for you are a passionate, insightful, and spirited soul. You will find joy in many delights, however, none as much as a completed piece of your writing.

Here are some of the amazing reasons to write and harness our own inner guide.

>> The joy is in the process—something I call the writer’s high. This is a high like no other.

>> We need not worry about things that others focus on like a designer wardrobe or makeup and styled hair. We can be free to write in pajamas or a sweater with easy-breezy, windswept hair.

>> Transportation will never be an issue—armchair travel is always a delight.

>> Nature can be our office.

>> Age will not matter. We can write your entire lifelong.

>> Everyone and everything is an inspiration even the deepest sorrows. We can sing through the pain while writing out our grief. I say this because artists and writers turn their pain into something tangible that is of benefit to others. Every experience may be a lesson and an outlet for creative expression.

>> Writers break free of negative thoughts and shift perspectives looking at things from different angles and views. The blank page is a canvas in which our inner world is explored and limiting beliefs are conquered.

Writing is a gift. Cheers to the perks of writing! (There are of course some pitfalls, however, that is for another story.)

There is no time like the present. So if you feel inspired, do join me for the writer’s life is a joy indeed.