Hi, I'm Jonathan Turnick

jmt (63)in #introduceyourself • 8 years ago

Hello there!

As above so below, I am still Jonathan. I absolutely love this platform, in fact I have been posting on Steemit for quite some time now and I neglected to introduce myself! How rude...

So to remedy my social(media) faux pas and give all of you lovely people the chance to know me and judge me, love me and hate me, here goes nothing.

I am a 19 year old writer living in the Pacific Northwest in the U.S.,

I like it here but I don't love it and I plan to move away eventually. I have lived here most of my life and while I like being near family I crave the sunlight and metropolitan style of living more. This really brings me to the heart of why I write, I am going to share honestly with no pretense so I hope you are okay with that. I write because starting at age 12 I have had a battle with depression, coupled with an atypical family life, this led to me being a pretty heavy person in spite of my upbeat personality. I was homeschooled for all of my life and my only opportunity to socialize was in church, this created an intensely root bound perspective of the world that I have done my best to shake off by reading and developing a gradually more holistic and nuanced perspective of the world.

I remember a particularly dark day. I was sitting by my window looking at the rain and the grey clouds, it felt so heavy , so oppressive. I remember feeling completely empty. I didn't want to do anything and I didn't want to change. I was completely indifferent to the world around me, besides an immense pain. I felt restless in the midst of it all, I was going insane in the hollow of dreary day. It was on that day that I read a poem that forever changed my life, The Rainy Day by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The line that changed everything for me was beautiful and eloquent as any 13 year old could appreciate, "Be still sad heart and cease repining, behind the clouds is the sun still shining, thy fate is the common fate of all, in each life some rain must fall."

That did it for me. I felt the sun shining, like a warmth in my chest where the void had been. I became voracious with my reading and dove into the literature assignments I was given. Absorbing the thoughts and ideas of great thinkers, beginning to question the assumptions and biases that I had been indoctrinated with from my family and church.

I have lived a tempest of a life since then.

After I graduated highschool I started working at a furniture store, still living at home and hating life. After a particularly emotional drive to work I walked up to my boss and quit that day, no plan, just a bit of savings and the knowledge that staying where I was in life would kill me. You can read the full story here if you would like: The Furniture store or It's not too hard to assume your life away

From there I had the opportunity to work as a life insurance agent, less than two weeks after I quit my job I was moving 5 hours away to Spokane and working as a life insurance agent. I only found a place to live a day before I arrived. It was a whirlwind if I have ever felt one.

A few months after that I was visiting home for the first time, I ended up having a 6 hour conversation with a woman in a coffee shop and quitting my job the same day. Again, no plan just a bit of savings and the knowledge that I had to keep pursuing whatever version of the truth I had at the time.

My life has in many ways been a spiral, A spiral staircase I think. Maybe to heaven or the basement, or perhaps it's just turtles. But I have slowly moved closer and closer to my own center, becoming less engaged in what other people thought and more focused on my own thoughts on the world and how I could grow into a better version of myself.

Writing has always been a central part of my life.

I love to talk and share, I am usually excited about something and the people around me are tired of hearing about it. So I write, I share with people who care. It is an honor to be read, to have the opportunity to share, and for you to give me time out of your life to appreciate what it is I am saying. I consider that a deep honor and privilege, that is the primary reason I am so picky about the work I share.

Currently I am working toward moving back to Spokane, going to college, and trying to be happy in general. I just came out of one the darkest times of my life but there is an expression that I often say. What is bad for the heart is good for the art.

I am so excited to engage and share with everyone here!

This is without a doubt one of the friendliest communities I have ever encountered. I am always looking for feedback on my work, whether you really felt a line or thought I wrote something that was absolutely garbage I want to know about it! So share, tell me what you think. I love criticism and I love compliments, bring it all on. I want to get to know you and see your work too, if you have things you'd like to share with me, Let me know!

Below are links to all of my best work for you to get a great sampling of what it is that I do here!

I made this handy guide to my work for you! Here are my most popular projects and posts!

The Memoirs Project:

Memoirs: The furniture store or it's not hard to assume your life away

Memoirs: Moving to Spokane or When every day is a Season Finale

Memoirs: Losing all my money was worth every penny

Memoirs: Two Fake British Girls and a Real Russian, No ice...

Memoirs: How Molly changed my life

Memoirs: Red Rose in a Porcelain Vase

My best poetry

Butcher Block Block

Across the pale horizon