Why I love reading something I hate.

I love to read. Give me a great book and a cup of coffee and I’m good. This is a huge shocker to everyone I know. (Or not. Whatever.)

I also have a soft spot for really great blogs. I love it when I discover that someone else feels the exact same way as me about something. I adore laughing along with another Mom about the craziness of parenting. And sometimes there are posts that just resonate so deeply with me that I can’t stop thinking about them.

A lot of times I end up falling in love with the author of the blog or book. Their voice speaks to me. It’s beautiful and almost magical. For example, Jen Hatmaker and Sarah Bessey  have become my B.F.F.s. I mean there’s the minor detail that they have no idea I exist, but who cares. 😉

But sometimes there’s a really popular book that everyone raves about and it’s even in a genre I typically love, but it just doesn’t do it for me. Sometimes I can’t even figure out why. It simply doesn’t speak to me.

And there are some bloggers who drive me crazy. Facebook friends will share the bejeebers out of their posts but I just can’t even. Something about their writing somehow manages to rub me the wrong way every.single.time.

This used to trouble me a bit. In the past I’ve tried to force myself to trudge through a book that I felt I should like, and when I never did, I told myself I just wasn’t trying hard enough. I also used to feel bad that I’m so annoyed by bloggers everyone else apparently loves. And then I realized something…

It’s not only okay that I don’t resonate with every other writer out there, it’s awesome, because it means there’s room for my voice.

If we all loved the exact same writing then I might feel tempted to think all the stories are already written, or at least all the storytellers are already out there being awesome and writing all the awesomeness. So what would be the point of me adding my voice to the mix?

The fact that I don’t love everything written proves to me the necessity for many voices. I’m the only one with my exact voice, so adding it to the mix is a beautiful thing. Not everyone will love it, but some might, because we all resonate with different voices.

P.S. In case you missed it…this also means your voice is unique, and the world needs your story, whether it’s through writing, speaking, taking pictures, yada yada yada…or being a friend, Mom, teacher…whatever…yeah, be you and whatnot…also, I hope you like extreme ellipsis usage, because I’m obviously rocking that right now. 😉