I was contemplating letting my blog go as I was finding my life so full of other commitments. Or so I told myself.
I was very proud of the website I had put together without knowing a thing about creating one. I was also quite proud of the pieces I had published on it. I was, however, seriously second guessing if it had run its course and whether it was really something I truly continued to have a passion for.
I have always loved writing, telling stories, reading stories and the entire principal of humans beings sharing their ideas, knowledge and tales. The art of sharing through words is one of the greatest gifts we have and to be a part of that was truly eye-opening. Eye opening in the sense of how much of yourself are you really willing to share? Who am I trying to share my stories with? And what am I hoping to gain from it? When I started the blog I knew. It was to write like a journal that perhaps no one else would ever really read but, if they did they would laugh, think, become inspired or just relate to another person out there trying to figure life out.
A few months ago, I took a leap of faith and submitted a piece of writing I had done to YEG Inspired Magazine. As soon as I sent it I discovered several things I would have changed or written differently and finally closed my laptop and let fate take it where it should go. Deep breath in, deep breath out.
A little while later I received an email from Lorraine, YEG Inspired's publisher and founder. Although she enjoyed my piece, the magazine did not want to go with previously published pieces. I was disappointed but at the same time thrilled that she had been following my blog because how else would she have known it was previously published??!! I know right?!
Needless to say, I was still at a crossroads as I had not published any new material on my blog for quite some time. I mean I had been writing a ton. Stories with different ideas and thoughts on my phone or laptop. Always with the intention of completing the piece as soon as I had a chance to sit down and finish them. Currently, there are 33 different pieces I have started writing at different times recorded in the notes section of my phone, Google Drive or Pages on my laptop. However, I seem to always have something more important at hand other than to finish writing them.
Well, a huge piece of inspiration, as well as a huge kick in the arse, came in early June when a copy of YEG Inspired Magazine arrived at our door. I had not received the mail, my daughter had. While she was flipping through it she began screaming and jumping….I clearly thought she had lost her mind. She ran the magazine over to me and there it was - MY PIECE!!!! Right there in black print were my words. I was so thrilled and shocked and happy and so many other emotions. It was a truly incredible feeling.
I emailed Lorraine and shared a bit about what her decision to publish my piece had done for me. How she had helped turn the crank in the foot that finally gave me the kick in the arse I needed to make the choice to continue writing. I also shared that hearing my daughter's hollers of excitement and seeing how very proud my family was of me was a gift she had given me that I would never forget.
Being a parent is hard. Hell, being a spouse, friend, sister, brother and human being is hard. Our connectivity as humans, I believe is one of the most incomparable ways to ease the isolation and arduousness that life can become. That connectivity lets us laugh, cry, learn, become indignant and become aware. Aware that we are not the only ones out there going through whatever it may be we are traversing through.
