Chess and Writing

I play chess. I studied the game of chess while living in a group home. I'm quite good now and I have a number of chess buddies. Writing or blogging is a newer hobby of mine than chess. It is great for your mind, similarly to chess. It takes time to learn to do it well just like chess. I find it to be rewarding and fun.
In addition to publishing this blog, I write poetry. I began writing poetry to take part in an open mic event. I thought that doing this event would be a great way to meet new people. I am beginning to make "writer friends" the same as I have chess friends. I took over a year to learn to play chess. I would like to give similar attention to writing.
I have never been to college. I have attempted to be self educated. I find that studying things you can practice like chess and writing to be a crucial part of independent learning. I think that there is a lot to be learned from living. I see practices like chess and writing to improve your learning curve. You can learn to gather understanding and knowledge from your life experiences through these two practices.