Day 1: Introduction – The Coming of the Ship

In a way I am clothed.  Hidden.  Cloaked beneath the fibers that I stitch together.  Insecurity-bound juxtaposed with my sashay through life with quiet confidence.  I write under the pseudonyms of the ones I love.  I claim to be a skilled wordsmith (by hand, not by mouth), and yet I also claim to be devoid of ideas.  A concept drought.  ‘I can write it beautifully,’ I say to myself, ‘and yet I depend on others to provide the content for me.’  So, following suit to my past patterns, I consult with my father.  

"There’s a thirty-one-day online writing challenge coming up, and I’d like to join.”   I don’t mention that it’s because firstly, I’d like to see if I can actually stick with something for thirty-one days, and secondly, to see if I can drum up with engaging ideas for each day.  I know this will be a true undertaking and a discipline I have much affinity for and yet one which I abandon often.  I ask him for suggestions.  

“What about knitting?”, he says.

"Too obvious,” I mutter.  That is another creative outlet entirely, and I do not want this project to feel like a chore.  I also want it to be multi-faceted.   He then presents the idea to write about the topics in his favorite book, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.  

“Write about love,” he says.  “Write about marriage.” 

It seems too simple and yet it is the simplicity of the idea and the complexity of my thoughts that draws me to the project.  I feel the churning of the tide, tugging my feet away from the insecure sand beneath me.  I think this venture will keep my attention-deficit mind intrigued throughout this month.  Should I read the book beforehand?  No, I decide.  I will form my own ideas about these human condition topics, and explore the book afterwards.  A perfect way to reflect.  So it’s done.  And here I am.  Called to sail this month on a writing voyage that both frightens me (I am, after all, putting content out for the world to read, blogging really for the first time), and called to introspect about such heavily discussed topics.  

But then again, they are life… and I am life.

Cheers to the next 31.