I made two promises, and I am
breaking one.
Well, not exactly breaking.
But a while back, I announced that I was doing a crowdfunding campaign for the
book I’m writing. I was all rah rah and let’s do this, and when I say stuff
like that I usually mean it. But then I posted the announcement, and a few days
passed and everything in my body and head was shouting No, no, let’s not do
this, you’re not ready. Which I hate because we’re supposed to be Out There,
Doing Stuff, All The Time. Aren’t we? Isn’t that what the inspirational
Instagram posts say?
The truth is, I have been
loving writing this book. And I’ve loved it the most because, so far, I’ve let
it be about the process, rather than the final product, which is another thing
the inspirational Instagram posts say. Which is not to say I’m not super
excited about the final product. It’s just that the whole thing needs to stay
close to me a while longer, while it’s being born, and for me to go crazy
raising money and being all public wouldn’t allow for that. So, long story short,
crowdfunding campaign postponed for a few more months.
At the same time, I’d
announced that I’d be doing a 30-day blogging challenge.
I still wanted to do that.
Sort of. I told myself I’d do it in
October, while I would be traveling a lot, and when my new website
goes up. Then I was like, no, I’ll do it in November, when I’m not traveling as
much. Or why not December, before Christmas? Or maybe I’d just postpone it
until I did the crowdfunding campaign, and focus on the other things I’m supposed to be
doing, like writing the book and making money. And then one of the writers I
coach was struggling to get her
writing done, and I made her promise to do a 30-day writing challenge, starting
today, September 23rd. We shook on it through the computer screen.
“The 23rd is a
good number,” I told her.
“Why?” she asked.
“It just is,” I
said, and changed the subject, but really it’s because I was born on the
23rd, and 23 is my lucky number, and suddenly I
realized the irony of all of this. Also, I am road tripping with my friend
Tegan, who is a get-shit-done type of person – more on her later – and she was
like yes, you’re doing it, and you’re starting today, too, end of story.
So I am.
Hello.
I write you from a hotel room
the size of a post office box in Selcuk, Turkey. We’ve just been to see the
Temple of Apollo at Didyma, which was, for lack of a better word, glorious.
It’s the fourth largest temple in the ancient Greek world, and we wandered
around it, lost, respectively, in our own modern, Australian/Canadian worlds.
We touched the gargantuan columns
and peered into the now dry spring which once held the waters drunk by the
Oracles (Apollo was god of Oracles, among other things, including music, the sun and
plagues,) who then went on really good drug trips and told people their futures. I
wondered about my future. Tegan wondered about hers. Then we got back on the
road and drove off, marveling at how far people traveled back in Way-Pre-BC to
get here, over mountains and across seas.
Except for the ones who had
dragons. They would have been fine.
Thanks for reading. See you
tomorrow, after Ephesus and probably more.
Love,
Natalie
p.s. I think the thing about 30-day challenge are that you're supposed to invite people to join you. So I am. Doesn't have to be writing, though - if you're up for a 30-day flossing challenge, or yoga or dessert-eating, please join me! Send me a message. Or a postcard. Or dessert!
p.s. I think the thing about 30-day challenge are that you're supposed to invite people to join you. So I am. Doesn't have to be writing, though - if you're up for a 30-day flossing challenge, or yoga or dessert-eating, please join me! Send me a message. Or a postcard. Or dessert!
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