Abraham Lincoln is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame
by Tanner Olson
writtentospeak.com

Writer’s write and I wanted to be a writer.

I sat down with a spiral notebook and a black pen, the same one I used to write my history paper the night before.

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame?

Before he became the 16th President of the United States of America he was a wrestling champion.

My teacher said this wasn’t what she was looking for, but I told her it’s what I found.

Sometimes you can only give what you have and share what you know.

But tonight I wasn’t writing about history or Abraham Lincoln, but I was wrestling.

I was trying to pin down ideas and put together a string of words that I would be proud of.

If Abraham Lincoln could be a wrestler and President, I could be a writer and poet.

I scribbled line after line.

I rhymed night with light and above with love.

I wrote about life and God and tomorrow and sorrow.

But nothing was what I wanted it to be.

Frustration began to build and insecurities began to whisper.

I wanted to be a great writer, but I was far from where I wanted to be. 

The outside of my hand smeared the ink as I used the wrong variation of their.

It was supposed to be there.

But I wrote their.

And I began to think that I’ll never get there, to where I want to be as a writer.

I felt lost and behind and all the things you never want to feel, but I felt them.

But you can only give what you have and share what you know and I was beginning to believe that if you’re willing to be bad at something, you might just become good at it. 

With hope,

Tanner Olson
@writtentospeak

About the Author

Tanner Olson is an author, poet, speaker, and podcaster living in Nashville, Tennessee.

He is the author of I’m All Over the Place, As You Go, Walk A Little Slower, and Continue: Poems and Prayers of Hope.

You can find Tanner Olson’s books on Amazon.

His podcast is The Walk A Little Slower Podcast with Tanner Olson and can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.

Tanner Olson travels around the country sharing poetry, telling stories, and delivering messages of hope.

You can follow Tanner Olson on Instagram (@writtentospeak) and Facebook where you’ll daily find encouraging words of faith and hope.