Something New

Starting something new is hard and usually pretty uncomfortable.

You just show up and you’re like, “Hey, I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing and I’m about to make a complete fool of myself, but YOLO!”

(Are people still saying YOLO?!? Oh well, YOLO.)

An Introduction

Starting this blog reminds me of when I was first learning to water ski. I would watch people hold onto the rope and then magically pop out of the water and begin gliding on the surface.

When it was my turn, I thought, How hard can it be? Just hang on and let the boat pull you up. Super easy right?

Wrong. So very wrong.

There I was in the water, ready to go. My ski tips were pointing up in the proper position. My arms were straight out in front of me, and I was holding on tight to the handle. The driver of the boat began slowly idling and as the rope tightened, I yelled, "Hit it!" And we were off!

Everything went great for approximately three seconds. I popped right up and for a fleeting moment, I felt the wind on my face and the triumph of success.

The problem is, that the boat did not stop pulling. The next thing I knew I was being dragged face first with swampy lake water streaming through my nostrils and the force of it dragging my bathing suit bottoms down around my skis. (To be fair I was only about eight years old and nobody told me that I needed to let go of the rope, but still, I remember it vividly.)

Writing feels strangely similar. I see so many people doing it and making it look easy, but I feel like I’m over here being dragged behind a boat with my pants around my ankles.

What You Will Find Here

In preparation for starting this new thing. I did what any person with high functioning anxiety does when they have no idea where to begin; I researched the hek out of the internet.

There are about a billion articles on "How To Create Your First Blog Post.” Most of them agreed that the best place to start was with an introduction, "Let your reader know what you will be offering them."

That sounded like pretty logical advice to me, so please let me tell you.

A lot of what you will read here is me processing life on the page. You’ll find the moments I’ve tried to capture because they felt too precious for a picture. You will find stories of people that have left an impression on my soul and reflections about a God who is my favorite author of all.

I believe words contain a special kind of magic that we will never fully understand. It makes goosebumps dance on my skin and butterflies rise in my veins just to think about it.

Imagining that you might find a bit of that magic here, ignites anticipation in my heart that I can’t fully explain.

I should let you know that you're also probably going to find quite a few mistakes. Especially at first. I wasn’t joking when I said that I have no clue what I am doing here!!

Yet.

Something Fun

All I know is that I want to write books.

I love story, like I love ice cream. I know it’s possible to live without it, but I don’t understand why anyone would want to?!? I was told a part of the publishing process means starting a blog. So here I am, writing these words because I'm willing to do the uncomfortable things to make my dreams come true.

But I’m new here. I’m learning. I don’t know if you have tried doing anything new recently, but it usually involves a whole lot of “oopsie daisies” and “gosh darn its!”

But you know what’s fun?

I’m no longer letting the fear of making mistakes keep me from doing what I love.

I’m also trying really hard not to edit myself out of the narrative. I’m awkward. I’m weird. I’m not formal or eloquent and I make up a ton of my own words. But I also ask a lot of questions and think deeply about a lot of issues. I love people, I love God, and I love dogs. Travelling is my love language. I married the perfect man for me, and my little sister is my best friend. These are the things that make me who I am.

When you are a writer it is so tempting to edit yourself into a pretty little package that you hope people will love. But oh my goodness, is that exhausting! Not to mention, a total waste of time.

No matter how prettily you present yourself, at the end of the day somebody is going to throw dirt.

So, I hope as you read these words, you find vulnerability. I hope some of these words might make you laugh or maybe offer a bit of encouragement. I’d love it if they taught you something new, reminded you of an old truth, or helped you see from a different perspective. If anything, I ever write affects another soul for the better, that is the ultimate dream.

But I can’t control how these words are received. I can only control what words I share. And I want to share words that feel genuine.

Final Thoughts

Learning to ski was not easy. It meant water up my nose and doing the splits until I learned how to hold my skis together. It meant face planting over and over and over again. It meant sore legs, sore arms, a sore back, and sore pride. It meant looking pretty ridiculous, for a pretty long time.

But once I figured it out, it was hard to believe I ever struggled so much. To finally find myself gliding over the water was a thrill well worth the effort!

Dear Lord Baby Jesus, I hope that’s what writing feels like one day.

But for now, I’m still the person swallowing buckets of water and feeling super exposed.

That is why I am so grateful to you. I am so grateful that you are willing to read these words, to bear witness to my growth, and walk with me through this vulnerable experience of starting something new—to laugh with me when I fall down and cry with me when the fall actually hurts.

What a gift it is to share this with others.

I hope you will start something new too. I hope together we can make a bunch of mistakes, but also make the world a little better in the process; this world where we have found the bravery to set out on a new adventure.

Shall we begin?

PS. Is there something new you’ve been wanting to try or that you are in the middle of learning? What is holding you back? Or how is it going? I’d love to hear about it so I can support you too!