Every couple of months I meet my aunt for lunch. We meet at the same place (1/2 way between our homes) and for years we’ve ordered the same thing. All of that recently changed when they started to list the calories on the menu, and now I order an unsweetened ice tea and a crab cake because it’s a healthy (healthier) choice.
The point of lunch, though, isn’t really to get a healthy meal. It’s really to get a healthy mind. My aunt is a therapist and these lunches usually play out with her listening to me talk about what is going on in my life. She is great at what she does and after an hour, I always feel better. There doesn’t have to be anything wrong either. Just catching up, sharing and being real is cathartic. Having someone to listen who knows you, knows your family and cares, is invaluable.
Now, my aunt is proud of me for writing a book, but it’s not really her type of book so we don’t talk much about it. I’m totally fine with that because I have a few others who have been my “therapists” throughout this whole process.
Stepping into the unknown is risky. It’s scary to do this, to write a book and put myself out there. I’m by no means an introvert but I’m hard on myself and a bit of a perfectionist. I do care what others think of my book. I’ve had to learn so much and things certainly have not always gone the way I wanted them to. This is a whole new world for me and I honestly think I would have quit several times had it not been for my support system.
Support is priceless
Luckily for me, from beginning to the end, I have had three women to talk to about this process. These women know me. They know how I can get consumed with self-doubt. They know how uncomfortable I am at times talking about the book with a bigger audience. They give me critiques, they give me opinions, they give me support and they give me their time. They’ve all read Stay, sometimes piece by piece as I worked and re-worked it. These are busy women and they have made time to help me chase a dream. They have believed in me when I haven’t believed in myself and talked me off the proverbial ledge many times. I have mentioned in my other blogs how awesome my family has been, well these ladies have been just as awesome and there is no way I can thank them enough.
We all need a good support system in our lives for those times, big and small, when we just aren’t feeling positive about where we are and what we’re doing. We all need people who tell us like it is, and love us no matter what. I’m extremely lucky because I have more than my fair share of people like that in my life.
So to my aunt who listens and pays for my ice tea and crab cake lunches, and to MM, LH and HH who have given me the courage to continue this writing journey, thank you. It’s impossible to do this alone and you really have no idea how much I appreciate you. I know I tell you this often, but now I am telling the world (or people reading this blog).
Deep down we all have it in us to follow our dreams and find what we are passionate about but new beginnings can be scary. My advice: lean on the people who get you and support you. It’s the best way to navigate the scary parts and find what you are looking for on the other end. And hey, if you get to eat a few good meals along the way, it’s even better.
Leave a Reply