The bad blood started day one.

I was trained to detest the oxford comma since the first day we met. In my freshman year high school journalism class with AP Style bestowed upon me, I took a vow to never write, type or even consider the legitimacy of the oxford comma.

Then I went into marketing.

I fake it, you know. For marketing, I mean. The oxford comma and I are only friends when money is involved, but how dare I taint my journalistic integrity with such a wasteful punctuation mark. Well, besides the exceptions where an oxford comma does in fact add more clarity, but let’s not even go there.

I stand stubborn in my feelings for the oxford comma. It probably absorbed into my ego when I finally reached that coveted hierarchical throne of Editor in Chief. Oh, how such a minor title —yet, a title nonetheless—can warp the mind of a 17 year old.

Good thing college hits us all in the face.

And, it hit me hard.

Standing tall and prideful in my hatred for the oxford comma was even more crucial than before. I had to prove myself in the pretentious sea of thousands of other Editors in Chief’s, all starry-eyed and hopeful for a byline in the New York Times one day. I had competition and I would never make such an amateur mistake like letting an oxford comma slip into one of my articles. No-sir-ee.

I engrained this mentally into every piece of content I wrote until I finally turned to the infamous dark side aka marketing (girls gotta eat, know what I’m sayin?). Suddenly, I was asked to include the oxford comma. Excuse me? Who would utter such a request? Do you even understand the importance of journalistic style?

They did not. Nor, did they care to understand my qualms with the oxford comma. Their oblivion led me to one single daunting revelation: AP Style isn’t beloved by everyone.

What a shame. A tragedy that still irks me to my core today. I swallowed my pride and adjusted, as any good great writer would do. I now reluctantly use the oxford comma—for the sake of clarity, for the sake of the audience, and for the sake of the business.

Occasionally, I get to dust off the old journalist cap and write community stories for The Osider. And, in those moments, there’s nothing more liberating than writing from my roots and leaving that lousy oxford comma at the door.