I Believe...a piece I wrote in college.
I Believe in Bleeding Your Own Truth.
I ventured out one semester to take a non-fiction writing course, against the will of the little voice in my head telling me it was a bad idea, risking the chance of having to write something about myself. Sure enough this was the task in this course, the only task. My professor shared his story with us and I found that the shell of his story mirrored my own. There was love, and sadness, and heartbreak, and joy. We took turns going around the table reading what we had written. As my classmates read excerpts from their stories bleeding their own truths right there on the conference table for all to see, I realized I was not the only one who was uncertain about the exposure of vulnerability.
As we went around the table the faces of the other authors were hesitant, after all bleeding in public is vulnerable work. When it was my turn to read my piece I felt ready I was amongst others who had been wounded and dared to brave their scars, why shouldn’t I. I began a story about my life and twenty-four pages later the pages were red. The courage of my professor, and the other students allowed me to feel comfortable enough to share my own story. I ripped off the bandage and just like my professor and my peers, I have bled. If I hadn’t taken that course I wouldn’t have written my story. I wouldn’t have realized that there are others out there wounded and bandaged and walking around padding the bleeds. I wouldn’t have a published piece. I believe in bleeding for the whole world to see. I believe that we are all walking stories, and I believe in telling that story.
I write every day but never before had I written something so personal, never had I written about my own life. I guess I was afraid to be that exposed, but in the experience of writing my story and hearing the story of others I found something, something that I will always remember. If you have a story tell it, whether you write it down or just say it out loud, let the world here it. Don’t be afraid of vulnerability, it was when I embraced vulnerability that I found my best self.