scijessreads

I love this line. Jason Isbell is one of my favorite musicians and artists, and his songs always dig into your soul. And while this line is in reference to another person, kind of along the lines of the popular phrase “If you love something, let it go,” it also resonates with me on a personal level. In our own journeys through life, we can see a destination and know we will get there eventually, but it is hard to take that first step.

It’s a little bit like staring at a blank page. There are so many options to take, but the hard part is just choosing one. The hard part is just making the first mark on the page. We may have to erase it and start over. We may get halfway through the story or the picture and realize we made a mistake along the way and have to change course. No journey worth taking is really a straight line, and we will have to adapt and accept mistakes. And this line encompasses all of that. We know we will get there. The hard part is actually going for what we want, what we see, and what we know we are capable of.

For me, the hard part is right now. I know I can see writing in some form in my future. I can see my creative desire being filled somehow outside of my day job, but the hardest part has been just starting. Writing the blog posts. Using Instagram. Reading the books and deciding that this is the niche I want to pursue. And in the beginning, it has been a lesson in trusting that someone out there will read what I write. Enjoy what I enjoy. It is vulnerable to say “This is what I think” and put the opinions and words out there where so many other eyes can see them and voices can drown them. Especially when you are someone that is usually very insular and not all that comfortable outside of their own bubble.