Main Entry: 1safe·ty
Pronunciation: \ˈsāf-tē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural safeties
Etymology: Middle English saufte, from Anglo-French salveté, saufté, from salf safe
Date: 14th century

1 : the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss

Main Entry: se·cu·ri·ty
Pronunciation: \si-ˈkyu̇r-ə-tē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural se·cu·ri·ties
Date: 15th century

1 : the quality or state of being secure: as a : freedom from danger : safety b : freedom from fear or anxiety

I have thought a lot about safety and security this week, as I commit to writing. I consider what brings me here, to transform thought into concrete phrase, in a potentially public, but currently  controlled environment. I think of the rewards and complications of revealing private thoughts in a public forum.

I think, too, of what will be lost by playing it safe, by withholding that which I would choose to share because I fear criticism (my own being the most harsh), being misunderstood, judged or perhaps worst of all, disregarded.

I  set myself the task of identifying those environments where I feel safe and secure as a writer and those where I feel less safe from hurt, less free from fear and anxiety. Those writing environments represent my life.