Those of us who jumped double-ropes in the school yard, understood that the ‘timing’ of entering those ropes as they both turned seconds apart from each other, was paramount to not winding up in a tangled heap.  Somehow, though, we also understood that waiting for the “right moment” could be fruitless and at some point, with prompting from our playmates, we just had to jump in.  No amount of over-preparation could substitute for action.  It was through the doing of it that we learned… trial, error, recalibration and trying again.  We repeated this process till alas, the ropes continued to turn while we successfully jumped over each multiple times then exited when we reached the end of the chant. How exhilarating it was!  Out of breath and with hearts pounding, our turn was over and it was time to take a rest.

Since this final (for now) essay, marks my 100^th blog post, this, too, seems like a fitting time to take a break.  When I started writing, I never set out to write 100 essays.  I just wrote for the joy and satisfaction of expressing myself.  One Christmas, I was prompted (read coerced) into posting these by my son.  I had talked about it for a while.  I had come up with a fitting title and my husband had even created a blog site for me to get started.  But like so many things in life, this got put-off until “someday,” like that might be a day of the week.  I was waiting for that proverbial “right moment.”

“Mom, when are you going to start posting your essays?!?” my son asked me point blank after reading a few of them. “It’s time you shared these.”

“I don’t know.  I’m not even sure how to do it and I find the whole thing confusing, frankly.”

“Fair enough.  Let me walk you through it so you’ll know exactly how to do it when you’re ready,” he replied.

Uhh…not exactly what I feel like doing right now, but to be honest, I will probably NEVER feel like doing it.  What harm can come from him showing me…

“Okay, show me,” I conceded.

“Find one of your essays that you feel is pretty much edited, one that you’d feel okay about posting,” he started.

That didn’t take me long.  It seemed fitting that the essay was something I had written about him in his boyhood, tree-climbing days when he had me scared half to death.

He helped me set up a password and explained to me how it all worked.

Hmm…surprisingly, I’m following him on all of this!  This is much easier than I had imagined in my mind!  (as is usually the case!)

Step by step he walked me through it, checking in with me every inch of the way to make sure I understood the process.

“Okay,” he said, “now just press ‘submit.’”

“Wh-what?!?  That means it’ll go live?!?!  I’m not ready to do that!!  That means I’ll have to keep posting every so often!”  My commitment phobia roared to life.  

“Ya, and what’s the problem with that??”

“But-but, I’m not sure I’m ready!!”

“Mom, you’re as ready as you’ll ever be!  I think fear is the only thing holding you back.  Look, if you don’t want to press the “submit” button right now, that’s fine… but give me a date when you will.”

Gulp!  “Alright!  I will start posting in a couple weeks, right around the new year.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, I promise!”

And that, my friends, is how my blog got started, eight years ago, on Dec. 30^th, 2016!  Just like the playground promptings of my playmates to ‘just jump in,’ if not for my son’s gentle (?) push, sneaky as it was, I might still just be collecting my essays on my computer, never having clicked the submit button. My apprehension has long been replaced with a huge dose of gratitude to my son.

Sometimes, we just need to have someone nudge/push/force us out of our comfort zone long enough to take action.  And on the other side of taking action is a whole new world that opens up and welcomes us in.

I haven’t decided yet what my next venture will be.  I’m toying with the idea of children’s books, or possibly trying my hand at fiction…mostly because the idea of it seems daunting.  I believe when something appears daunting, I need to at least try it, even if just for the fun and learning experience. I’ve also been encouraged to publish some of my blog posts into a book…?  This one would require more than a just a nudge!

While I may still occasionally post here in my blog, I’m currently in the exploration stage, clearing my responsibilities to make room for the new and exciting possibilities to come.

Happy New Year to you, dear friends, and thank you for your support these past few years.  It’s meant the world to me.

Big Hugs,

~SuZanne
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