"There is nothing
more powerful
than a girl
with a pen
who is brave enough
to use it."
@poeticpoison
When I was in high school a teacher served as my mentor my senior year. Mrs. Perkins saw something in me. Maybe it was the yearning I had to become an educator or maybe it could have been her acknowledging I didn't have much of a clue and needed some guidance. Either way I wasn't even her student, but she took me under her wing as I navigated what to do after high school. Upon graduation she gifted me the book "Te of Piglet" Now that I think back on it, I smile at the thought that my 18 year old self was thrilled that her mentor had given her a book on eastern philosophy using the beloved characters of Winnie the Pooh to deliver sacred knowledge. It was the perfect book because I identified so much with the main character of the book Piglet. I don't really remember much of the message of the book. I just remember understanding that Piglet was so greatly affected by his fear. He didn't feel very brave at all. I can say most of my decisions in life, including my writing have been informed by fear and worry. I am guarded when I contemplate what I want to say. I worry that people will not understand or get my compositions. Even worse they might not value my thoughts. What if what I put on paper gets misconstrued? I have perfected the "what if" game firing off a myriad of excuses to not write. It took sitting in a country library in the small town that my mom lives in and cracking the spine of a poetry book that my daughter Noora had gifted me on Mother's Day to realize that I have a strong desire to write, and I have not been brave enough to do it with authenticity. The quote above is what I am working towards. The fact that I have written every day since I read the quote is a start, hitting the submit key on blog, facebook, and instagram posts is building confidence. I know if I continue to practice, I will also get opportunities to work through my self doubt.