This is a Window
by: Eryn Austin

My words don’t always come easily. I could sit in front of my computer or a pad of paper for days and not write a word. For me, writing is purely emotional. I cannot use my intellect to cultivate this article. It must come from some place deeper. You see, this is not just an article to me. You may get to the end of each issue of Accent Gwinnett and see The Last Word and think, “Well, that was a nice way to end the best magazine around.” Maybe you think it’s garbage, which is okay also. Yes, this is a feel-good article. Still, what you may not realize is that this is a window that I have opened for you. With each issue, I make myself vulnerable to all AG readers who find it in their hearts to read my meager musings on life. When you read this last small article, know that I am pouring myself into this page.

Selling advertising for this magazine is not scary. I’m sure of the product that I am selling, I know that people love it, and I’m confident in its ability to enrich lives. Writing this 600 word column every issue, however, is frightening. I have no idea whether or not you will read this and be touched. I don’t know if you will even read it. But if you do, I want it to mean something to you. My goal is not to impart wisdom, for I have no wisdom except for my own experience. My goal is to affect your life in a positive way; to give you another way to look at things.

I can’t help but write. It was stitched into the cloth I was made from, and I am forever destined to put pen to paper and make sentences. I believe that to ignore this is to deny my true nature. I hope that you love what you read. I hope even more that you can take some slice of it and apply it to your own life. But whether or not you do, I will still write.

Now, I hope that for all of you there is something that pulls you along like writing does for me. Whether it is your company, your children, or the baseball card collection you have had since you were three. Please remember that to truly enjoy life, you must call your attention to the things around you. You must live in every moment, finding joy and meaning in every stage of life. So that one day, when you look back on your life, you see that you followed your heart in all things, even when it scares you.

Everyone needs a little encouragement every once in a while. I hope that you find that in my words. When you get to the end of this great magazine, I hope that this short article will offer you a parting blessing, a word of support from me to you. Then, pass it along and be the encouragement for someone else. After all, it is you that make the words on this page worth writing.