There's something empowering about making a decision and beginning something new. I'm not saying I'm going to feel this way every day on this journey, but today I do, and I'll take it and enjoy it. And notice.
It's important to notice.
Right now, I'm noticing something very different than I was five minutes ago. And it's making for an entirely different piece of writing. I just made an amateurish mistake. Did not save my work, and suddenly the entire 500 words I'd just written completely disappeared off the screen. Poof. Gone.
I'd been writing about the peace of the day. And about noticing those moments because we don't always have them. The writing was poetic and beautiful and I just spent the last several minutes trying to recreate it. And becoming frustrated in the process. Normally Blogger saves as we go. I've never lost writing in the middle of creating a post here. I was in the flow. I had not planned the direction of the writing, I was simply allowing inspiration to move through me.
Still, there is a "save" button up there on the right and I didn't use it. But perhaps that writing had been for me alone and perhaps there is something else that wants to be shared today. And all of that needs to be okay.
Looking out my window, I notice the lush, green foliage moving with the breeze and ribbons of cloud beyond. They are grey, white, and lavender today. Everything is soft and cool. The afternoon is quiet and there are no power tools singing in my neighbors' yards. When I began this Summer of Self-Love daily writing practice, I decided to give myself the weekend to be gentle with myself, to rest and to prepare. The busyness of the coming week will come quickly enough. I have some challenges to work through over the next few months and, while I jumped right into the writing practice, I don't need to drive myself relentlessly into the other work. It's important to take some time before setting out to rest and to reflect. To think about what you might need to make the journey well.
Last year on one of my desert explorations, I found myself in soft sand. I had to dig my car out and the only tool I had for the job was my foot. I have a great foot, and it got the job done, but I found myself in an unanticipated situation after having taken an unexpected turn down a road I'd not prepared myself to travel but wanted to explore nevertheless. I won't go out into the desert again without a small, pack-able shovel. They're easy to find in any outfitting store. They're easy to carry. And when you need one, you're glad you have it. It's not as obvious a needful thing in the desert as water is, but it's one life lesson I'll never forget.
Tomorrow is Monday. New adventures await.
The Summer of Self-Love is a daily writing practice birthed on June 1, 2018 as a container for harnessing three months for thriving. The goal at the end is to host a dinner party. Sounds like an odd Hero's Journey, doesn't it? Most of them usually are.
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