Of writing, strippers and shooting for the moon

One small step for this woman, one giant leap for inhibited creatives everywhere...

I'm not landing on the moon, but am feeling the thrill/anxiety of doing something new, and putting myself "at risk."

I finally started a blog.

Many "editorials" ruminate in my mind all the time from my life experiences, and since I'm prone to writing, I should have started a blog a long time ago.

So I'm thrilled to take that first small step to openly communicate my thoughts. I will have the opportunity to write things as I see them, and see what other people think, good (yippee!) or bad (gasp!).

I will now finally be my own editorialist, my own ombudsmen. I will put out my thoughts for anyone to read! The thought of this is exhilarating!

However, with this freedom to express comes the other side of it--the side most of us don't want to face--the opportunity for criticism, both reasonable and potentially hurtful just for the hell of it.

It is the price we pay when any of us becomes public. Actors, sports figures, politicians and of course, writers, all take a risk when they unveil themselves in one fashion or another to the public. Everyone dreams of the glory. They need to be prepared for the grief.

I had read that Diablo Cody, Oscar winning screenplay author of the movie "Juno" said that she felt "more naked writing than I did as a stripper," which I sincerely couldn't have imagined.

She has a point--you can exercise your body, make it beautiful, create a unique style for yourself and become a persona for a "character" that you portray as a stripper--something to hide behind even as the clothes are dropped off. But when you do something artistic that shows who you are from the inside, you're taking a much bigger risk--you are exposing much more of yourself. Again, I never would've thought of this comparison, but I get it.

In my blog, I intend to reveal parts of myself--my opinions, my reflections and my beliefs--very personal thoughts that make up who I am. Why would I want to share so much of myself in a public way?

The answer to that is that I feel drawn to reveal thoughts I believe are worth reading. As a middle-aged woman (gah! I don't like to admit that!) I have given my life a lot of thought, and have asked myself over and over what I believe my strengths are, what do I want my professional legacy to be?

The answer is that I believe my useful purpose on this planet is to give people things to think about in one form or another--ways to get them to think about life and challenge them to think differently. The ways I think I can do this are through writing, acting and perhaps one day teaching/lecturing.

For me, this is the key to living--having your mind opened to thoughts you never even knew you could have. When someone does this, they are on the continual journey to making themselves a better person, and when one person becomes better, everyone they come in contact with becomes better, too.

So I will write about what is meaningful to me, and I will see what others think. I will hope to give meaning to things that a reader may never have considered, and I will surely learn as much from the comments left regarding my posts.

In truth, I may not learn as much from the posts of those who compliment and agree with me. I will definitely learn from those who present a reasonable, respectful difference of opinion.

The journey to the moon wasn't an easy one for those first pioneering astronauts. Why should my personal trek to shoot for my own moon be any different? It's time to embrace the fear and uncertainty of what this adventure will bring, and I at last hope I am ready.

BLAST OFF!!!!!