Attention all past and present outdoor guides! Flyfishing, skiing, hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing, river guides, etc. The Redside Foundation is looking for you to submit a blog post to be featured in their blog! I know this takes time and effort, so why is it worth your time to write a blog? Well, naturally, I thought I would write a blog post to help answer that question.
Why Write a Blog Post?
Human beings write for so many reasons:
- Convey an opinion
- Educate on a topic
- Share an experience
- Express a thought
- And more!
But the real question is why should you, an outdoor guide, take the time to write a blogpost for the Redside Foundation? Well, all the above examples apply! Are you passionate about something related to your experience as a guide? Do you want other guides to know something about your experience that might make them feel less alone? Do you want to educate people on a topic you find needs more awareness, or education? These, and more, are great reasons to want to write a blog post!
What Kind of Blog Post?
Whenever you sit down to write something, think of these two simple things:
- Who am I writing to?
- What is the purpose of me writing?
That, alone will get you started in your writing! And if you want some examples of what to write, I highly recommend River Station’s Whitewater Blog and, of course, The Redside Foundation Blog
But It’s Really Intimidating
Before I felt really comfortable writing a blog post, I would journal. Expressing myself in writing is how I have always processed my experiences. The first journal I started was June 9, 2009. I was 13 years old. One of my sister’s teachers had her class start writing in a journal, and so my mom thought it to be a good idea to get all three of us a journal. That journal became a place I could put any thought my 13-year-old self had, not matter how embarrassing in my mind, because I knew no one’s eyes would see it (trust me, I made sure). I diligently wrote in my journals all the way up until I was 18 and off to college. Once in college, I was overwhelmed with experiences and just trying to keep up, so I did not make time for my journals for a very long time.
June 12, 2022 (exactly 13 years after my very first journal entry), I felt the need to journal again. There would be sporadic entries throughout my time in college, but those entries usually only happened when I was at my wits end. I was never consistent with it. And just like 13 years ago, I found my journals to be the source of writing absolutely anything I felt. About the state of the world, my thoughts and feelings of being a guide, of being a lover of music, of being heartbroken, of the joys I felt conquering a class V rapid, and so many other entries of my experience. I, yet again, did not have to hide the ugly parts, or the parts of myself embarrassing. I could document the experiences I felt were important simply so my future self could look back and remember them. My journal became a place where I felt understood.
The point: If writing a blog post is intimidating to you, I would highly recommend finding a journal that you adore (I have my personal favorites that are leather), a pen you like to write with, and just write. About anything. A memory you want to keep forever, a feeling you have about the state of the world, of your everyday life, or of something that inspired you. The only rule is to be authentic in how you think and feel.
Writing A Public Piece Helps Make A Difference and Share Your Story
As my closest friends and family know, when I have an idea, or am passionate about something, I go all in, no matter what obstacles I face. However, there are times that I need to take a step back, and realize not everyone is ready to take the leap that I am ready to take.
During one of those particular moments, I was feeling down so my fiancé, Alfredo, wanted to watch the movie Freedom Writers with me. If you have not yet watched this movie, I highly recommend it. It is based on a true story, and there is also a book published with all their entries that I have yet to read. Erin Gruel, the students’ teacher, addresses racial stereotypes that the students face every day in Long Beach, CA by having them read The Diary of Anne Frank (which I have read) and Zlata’s Diary (which I have not yet read). Other teachers thought Erin was wasting her time, but still she pressed on and the students in her classroom did some pretty life-changing and radical things. But I’ll let you read the book.
The point: Anne Frank was a teenager in the 1940s halfway across the world. Why were her words, out of everything else they could have possibly read, speak into the hearts of a classroom of teenagers from Long Beach, CA in the 1990s? My theory is because Anne Frank spoke her mind. She said what was on her heart, not what she thought people wanted to hear, or as a way to impress someone. She wrote to be heard, and understood. She did not know her diary would be published to be read by millions of people after her death. But millions of people found something in that diary, because Anne shared her true thoughts for the simplicity of understanding herself and her experience.
Now, I am not saying write your most vulnerable memories or thoughts for the world to criticize. However, I am saying do not be afraid to share little parts of yourself here and there. The more you do, the more you realize that you are not alone, and you also help others understand that they are not alone either. The simple realization that there are others in the world that can relate to the experience that you are going through will give you the willpower and the strength to take the next step in the journey we all get to call life. And to help someone else take their next step too. But if you are not ready to take that leap, my advice to you is follow the steps of Anne Frank, Zlata Filipovic, and the Freedom Writers. Get a journal, your favorite pen, and just write. If nothing else, to help you feel understood.
“I have heard people say that it is not what happens to us that matters, but how we deal with it – and the Freedom Writers are a perfect example. They could have chosen to fight racism with racism, hate with hate, pain with pain. But they did not. If we all do what the Freedom Writers have done, and choose to deal with inhumane situations in a humane way, we can turn the world around and create positive lessons for ourselves.” – Zlata Filipovic
To submit a blog post to the Redside Foundation, email your story to info@redsidefoundation.org
For more information about the Freedom Writers Foundation, visit their website: https://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/
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