Is The "Unwritten Book" worth writing?

Sometimes when you're on a mission to try something new, you run into stumbling blocks that make you wonder if you've made the right choice to continue. It's easier to just give up and think "why bother?" But you should bother. Pursuing the goal is worth it, whether the trouble you meet on the way is big or small.

As you have by now noticed, the song "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield plays when you visit my blog. I put it on this page because I think the lyrics are beautiful and inspirational--and because Natasha's a good singer. Take a listen.
It's a great song for anyone ready to take charge of themselves, take on a new challenge, and go do it, no matter how old you are or what you're trying to achieve. I feel completely motivated every time I hear it!
I thought this song would be perfect to help personify what I'm trying to do with my new blog--especially since it uses writing as a metaphor.
So last week after I designed my blog page and wrote my first entry, I felt pretty good about having this cool black web page with an awesome picture of the moon (a very inspirational object to me) and a not-so-bad introductory blog.
Now all I needed was a song to set the mood--I had a couple of choices going through my head, but felt Natasha's was the best.
I had to read up on how to install the music since I'd never done it before. As I was doing all of this, my sleepy-head kids woke up. They are eight (daughter) and five years old (son), and while I'm trying to teach them the fundamentals of reaching for dreams, they didn't quite get the reason I created a blog--even my daughter who hopes to be an author was only mildly interested. They wanted breakfast and they wanted Mom.
I ushered them on to get their own things out for breakfast, which they did. I was sure I could wrap up quickly.
But, several attempts to install the music failed. There were two ways to install the programming script for the song on my page. I tried one that didn't work, so I tried the other.
Meanwhile, I was also on a web site that I was getting Natasha's song from, and the song kept playing on a loop as I read and re-read the download and upload instructions. At first the kids really liked it. But as I kept making attempts to get the song script on my blog, they came in from the kitchen saying: "OK, HOW many MORE times are you gonna play that song???"
Eventually--voila!---I got the song on my page--except now the two different methods to get the script on the page worked--so I had two versions of Natasha singing "Unwritten" at different times, and the kids came in again.
Poor Natasha was belting out her song and drowning herself out as the two versions played, and the kids came in with their hands over their ears in protest of the cacophony.
"Mom, what are you doing???" they bellowed. "I'm creating a blog!" I replied, though now this was seeming like more trouble than it was worth.
Son: "What's a blog"
Mom: "A place where people can write stuff, like a diary, except other people can see it if they want to."
Son: "Like who will want to read it?"
Mom: "Anyone on the Internet who finds the subjects interesting--I can tell friends, maybe set up ads to draw traffic."
Daughter: "I don't know, I'm not sure anyone's really gonna do that. Do you think your subjects are really interesting?"
Son: "What's a subject?"
Mom: "Well, lots of people have blogs, honey, and they do get people to visit them"
Daughter: "Oookaaay, if you say so."
Son: "What kind of traffic will you get? Will they really have cars, like will I see Transformers on your blop?"
Mom: "It's called a 'blog' not a 'blop'"
Son: "Whatever. Will I see Transformers?"
So this was not quite the positive feedback I was hoping for. Not that I was expecting my kids to provide it, but the whole thing did seem like a bit of a mess. Then I wondered why I was really bothering.
But after the conversation with my kids and after they had scampered away to cause trouble elsewhere in the house, I found a way to successfully post the single song script for Natasha, and when I launched my corrected page, I liked it. It was a statement. And Natasha's song played beautifully.
I listened to her words and felt inspired again. This blog is, above all, my space to put down my thoughts. Others are welcome to read it--but just creating the page was my mini-accomplishment for the day. It didn't go as smoothly as I wanted it to, but in the end, I think creating and maintaining this blog is worth it. It will serve as place to keep my thoughts, where I can exercise my writing skills and maybe one day I'll want to show the posts to an editor, etc., when I'm ready to pursue a writing career again--this time hopefully on what I truly want to write about.
Each day is new and unwritten--we don't know where it will take us--but it's worth taking note of what gets put on the page for us everyday, even if it's not perfect--there's always something to learn.


"Unwritten" lyrics
I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Oh, oh, oh I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
Oh, yeah, yeah