Mr. Spider stepping out on the salvia in my garden.
I sent out an Inspired Writer newsletter today. (You can read it here.) My question was:
Where do you want to step into more fully in your life?
I enjoyed a lovely dinner tonight with three wonderful women — Amy, Sally and Mary Ellen. The four of us formed the core of a group that Mary Ellen led this summer. We met for 12 weeks on Thursdays to uncover our authentic selves, using a variety of materials and exercises, including The Artist's Way. (Which is one of my Holy Trinity of books on creativity and becoming the artist/writer/creative person you are born to be. The other two are Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg.)
I am so grateful to Mary Ellen for holding the space and leading all of us. It was a powerful few months for me. It wasn't the first time I had worked with the Artist's Way, but this time I went even deeper.
I experienced some wonderful shifts in re-connecting with the sheer joy of creating and in exploring some of the resistance I have to being with the process (and letting go of my perfectionist tendencies).
Part of what came to me as we were talking at dinner tonight is that the steps I'm currently taking toward honoring — and achieving — my creative dreams is because of the community that supports my stepping into bigger shoes.
These women are part of my community of support. There are many others, too, who support my stepping more fully into my life. And to all of them, I'm so very grateful.
More and more, I find walking into my future is more expansive, more reassuring and more, well, fun knowing there is a community walking along with me, every step of the way.
And speaking of stepping out…Part of my "stepping out" includes becoming a passionate student again and taking classes to hone my skills and expand my experiences. (Being both a teacher and a student.) Tomorrow, I'm going to enjoy participating in a Soul Collage workshop at the Joyful Living Center. So excited for that.