Day 1

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 23^rd 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 23^rd, 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!