Hey everyone,
This is going to be a bit different from my usual blog posts. Most of the time, I focus on tutorials or creating directories to help people find the resources they need. But today, I just want to share some honest thoughts.
I’m actually using a dictation tool for this post. Normally, I write everything by hand, but that tends to introduce a lot of typos and grammar issues—and honestly, it interrupts my flow of thought. So, I’m trying something new to see if it helps.
I struggled for years with writing and speaking English. I was raised speaking Spanish in South Florida by my mother, but over time, I was placed into English-learning programs that they don’t even run anymore. From what I remember as a child, there were three tables where they would send us to learn English, and slowly, I lost my ability to speak Spanish. Without a community to reinforce it, I couldn’t retain or use what my mother had taught me. I think there’s a term in sociology for this—some people call it Amercianize—but I believe it’s just something that happens with immigrant families. My mom became a U.S. citizen, but she immigrated over 30 or 40 years ago, married my dad, and over each generation, the ability to speak the original language fades. Eventually, I lost my ability to speak Spanish, and learning English was very difficult.
Reading was always a challenge for me. Some people in middle school claimed I was dyslexic, but I don’t think I was—I never had any diagnosed issues. What really helped me turn things around was reading. I became obsessed with young adult books like Percy Jackson and Ranger’s Apprentice. They may not be books I’d read today, but as a kid, I loved them. There was another one—Artemis Fowl, I think?—I’d have to look it up. But anyway, young adult literature helped me imagine new worlds, get excited about characters, and follow their journeys through challenges and triumphs.
This is my first time using dictation, and honestly, it feels great. I don’t feel restricted by my ability to get thoughts onto paper. Writing still has its place—I think it’s amazing because it helps you organize your thoughts logically. When you make an argument, you build it step by step, providing evidence along the way. For example, if you claim that a purple hippopotamus is flying through the sky, you’d obviously need a photo and a citation for that, right? (That’s actually a reference to Age of Mythology—there was a cheat code that made flying hippos shoot rainbows. It was hilarious.)
This blog and website have always been about improving my writing and thinking. But trying dictation is going to make me a lot more productive. It feels freeing to speak my thoughts aloud and not worry so much about the mechanics of writing. Plus, using a dictation tool in Word helps correct my grammar mistakes, which is pretty awesome.
Anyway, there’s no major lesson or tutorial in this post. Most of my website traffic comes from posts like “How to do X in Python” or “Here’s a list of businesses,” and while I’ll keep making those, they aren’t always fulfilling. Sometimes, creating something is just for yourself, and that’s okay. Not everything has to make a ton of money or make someone else happy. It’s okay to create something just for the sake of making it.
Think about the cave paintings in France—people spraying paint over their hands to leave a mark on a rock. In a world full of tragedy, death, and uncertainty, even back then, when there was no medicine, no structured morals, no formal religion, people still felt the need to create something, to leave their mark. That’s such a deeply human thing. And for me, I know I need to keep making things—to stay alive, to stay happy, to keep pushing forward. This blog post is just me saying that out loud.
I hope you have a great day and a great weekend. Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day—love you, Holly.