Friday, July 31, 2009

New Beginnings

Have you noticed how difficult beginnings are? I often wonder just what is it about a blank page, an empty canvass or a rolled out yoga mat that makes me question myself, that makes me want to run for the safety of my couch, a cup of tea and Law and Order reruns. They say that silencing the inner critic—that little voice that lives inside your head and feeds off of the self-doubt it creates and propagates—is paramount to success, but I don’t know. Yes, “the voice” has been telling me for years that I have no business writing, has assured me repeatedly that I have no creative talent whatsoever, and yes, the same sneaky voice has made wonder if eleven years is long enough to work at any yoga pose, but I still can’t help but wonder if you actually need that little voice in order to care enough to propel yourself forward. If you think about it, isn’t it really the very same voice that whispers your dreams to you, that celebrates that great idea with you before your fear sets in? If you didn’t have the voice would everything just be flat?

So yes, this blog is a beginning, an exploration really—of my path toward 50. There are 483 days (including today) before I mark that particular anniversary of my birth, and I have decided that since, as they say, life is short, that each day really does needs to matter, needs to stand on its own as important and meaningful. I feel the urge to dive more fully into yoga as a practice and a philosophy, to read—OK, devour—books from self-help to “True Blood” and everything in-between, and to stick my toe into the world of art just to test the waters. Oh, and if anyone knows how I can pet an elephant sometime in the next 483 days, please let me know!

I’m going to try to post my first foray into the world of art. We’ll see how that goes for this technologically challenged woman! At any rate, my newly found love of all things creative can be credited first to Dawn from Enchanted Journey (thank you Dawn for your wonderful vision board class!), and then to listening to many a podcast via Kimberly Wilson on her Hip Tranquil Chick website. I found a whole new world out there in the way of mixed media artists and creativity in general. Lots of fun and tons of inspiration!

Until next time…