“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint’, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.”  ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Lately I have been getting signs and messages that I need to shine my inner light. It’s true, I have been dimming my light for a while and I have been reluctant to get it out of hiding. I do feel I have something to say, to share with the world. However, at the risk of ruffling feathers or standing out too much, I was getting vibes to tone down. From other people.

The truth is I did not have enough confidence to stand up to those voices, my own included.  I stopped writing, took down my (other)website. Writing was…or rather is my hobby. It isn’t the only gift that I share with others. It is a place where I can creatively express myself and share my experiences. In fact, I have found there are new people in my life who are curious about things I have experienced spiritually and they are curious. They are part of the reason I have decided to start writing again. Oh, and the nudges from the universe to shine my light – get my stories out there. 

My writing journey started in 2009-2010 after I had lost a job I really liked. The economic downturn pushed me to reinvent myself. I met someone who suggested I write, maybe a book or books, as they thought I had a lot to say. I wholeheartedly disagreed. I couldn’t write; I didn’t like writing and I avoided it wherever I could. However, I did feel that I could sharpen some skills or learn new ones by taking some classes at a local community college. 

It was at this community college that I saw clubs and groups posted on the bulletin board and I looked through them to see what looked interesting. The one that popped out was the college newspaper looking for those interested in journalism or writing. I laughed to myself and then rolled my eyes at the universe. I went to the first meeting and thought I would try it out. My first story was more like a twenty word advertisement for an event that had already taken place by the time the paper went to press. And my byline was mostly wrong. By the second story, almost a month later,  I had written 900 words, my byline was correct and I found that I liked writing!   I enjoyed the process of gathering facts, interviewing people who would be quoted in my next piece and putting it all together as an informational story to share with others who would read it.

I wrote and self published my first book in 2014; it was semi biographical and an eye opening experience. I proved to myself that I could write. I am seriously thinking of going down that path again.

 I wondered where the confidence or the enthusiasm or the words for that matter came from. Was it inside me all along? Was I guided by a higher being to write my experiences?

What I know now is that shining my light is my natural state. (BTW -It’s everyone’s natural state.) The thing that makes me giddy or happy on the inside like photography or writing is me being in alignment with who I am.