When the above question was asked, I gave a perfectly acceptable answer. It’s funny how when we’re asked such a deep question and answer ingenuously, people rarely call us out on this lack of honesty with ourselves.  Maybe it is because it could too easily be turned back on them.

I suddenly felt a need, not just a want, to identify with myself in such a raw and honest way.  I learned a lot about myself with recent issues in my past that taught me how I handled emotions.  I used humor, distractions or just hiding feelings to protect people from seeing where I was at emotionally.

For days I thought about what my honest answer should have been.  Looking back I knew it all along, but even naming it was scary to me.  It made it a reality.  You can’t run anymore once you know.

My most uncomfortable situation:  Be with me, myself, alone & find the love I have for others and the world…within myself.  Believing I deserved that same treatment and love.

It was time to make it happen.  How would I do this?  Where would I start?

A blog.  I was filled with excitement as I started the first entry. A few entries under my belt felt pretty good.

I then took a vow of silence on my own.  I shared my experience by writing “Silence for Sanity: Both Yours & Mine” about all that came up when I wasn’t communicating (for those that know me this was thought to be an impossible act).

When people say that sometimes even just a little positive feedback is enough to keep you going, they were right! My blog entries created a buzz I wasn’t expecting.  People were thankful for someone not afraid of their own voice or of others’ judgments. People sent private messages asking me to keep in touch (hell yeah! I would be honored!).  With all of this positive energy connected to this new way of expressing myself, it would have seemed obvious to stick with it, ride the wave & truly experience the joy it brings. The ability to be me without trying to please everyone else offered me a new freedom within life. I truly loved everything.   It was all falling into place.

I knew there was a possibility my friends/family would be reading about my journey. I was aware of the amazing people I know who read judgment free & hoped they would be inspired.  I also accepted that some would read because of self-motivated reasons or just to keep busy.  Some would see that I was on a new path of growth, change & aloneness,  and for them it might create fear.   What I wasn’t expecting was the amount of people that I would meet that would want to keep in touch & read about my journey.  It is easy to enjoy seeing people “like” my writing, but the amazing comments that were sent my way about inspiring & changing lives, that proved to be one of the hardest challenges for me.  It is mind boggling that we can find ourselves so loving & giving towards others, yet struggle to turn that gift inward.

So with all these realizations tumbling forth I would be writing the blog daily, right?  No.  Self sabotage comes all too easily.

Nine weeks have passed without me writing a new blog entry.  The reasons range from my wanting to be a people pleaser, listening to a friend’s advice telling me not to blog & just experiencing the journey, to the fear of my poor punctuation/grammar skills to feeling like I waited so long that there was no way I could catch up with the entries.  I let thoughts (others or my own) control my outcome.  All that truly matters in the end, though, is that I do what I WANT.  So bring it 🙂

I WANT to be actively blogging, tracking my experiences in an expressive outlet.  I want to have those that love me share in my experience. I want those that are inspired, intrigued, scared, moved, or disapproving of what I’m doing to be able to take a peek into my world if they so desire.

I wanted to be fearless. I want to have no regrets. I want to learn to live, love and long to be with myself.  I want to prove we are not defined only by our past experiences and we are definitely not defined by the beliefs others hold about us.

I want to prove that there is always more amazingness out there for us to experience.

So while I haven’t been writing & sharing, I have been LIVING.  I cannot wait to share all about it with you.

My writing, sharing & creative juices are flowing.  http://memyselfpigtails.com is alive 🙂 and best of all….

My biggest dream I silently held within “And She Leaps” become a reality.