Walk it out...NO WAIT...WRITE it out!

I remember playing sport in middle school and then trading in the "obvious sport" for the kind of sport that people misinterpret for 'mamby pamby' sport - Dance. Let me tell you something...It's no "MAMBY PAMBY" sport! I would challenge any man; or person for that matter to give leaps and high kicks a try for 30 seconds and tell me you're not gonna be sore for about as long as you'd be sore for getting pummeled in football.

OK...Yes, I'm passionate about dance. I digress. :)

BUT. When I played basketball, I loved  it! I really was passionate about it. And although I've never been a real big 'competition' type person (i'd rather just play for fun), I loved it. And I'd like to think at the time, I was pretty good. Obviously not WNBA worthy...maybe when I grow up? Every time I got hurt or anyone else got hurt, I'd hear the coach or some random player's over-eccentric, sports fanatic-like mom yell from the stands, "Walk it out, Walk it out...It'd be alright!"

So, we'd 'walk it out.' Even if it was just that the ball hit me in the nose. Same thing; walk it out. Because sooner or later, everything was better. I'd understand it if it were a sprang knee, ankle, or foot type incident, but it was used for EVERY injury. I loved it! Every sport I've watched lived in high school has the same common phrase yelled out somewhere in between the first half of the game, the cheerleaders dance in the middle, and the 2nd half.

The other night I'm laying in bed and all the sudden this "walk it out" thought comes to my mind and then was quickly followed by an abrupt "No...WRITE IT OUT!" I remember thinking that I needed to write so badly in that moment, but I share a room with a 2 year old and my attempt at getting up without making any noise from one room to the next would probably fail. Even though I'm naturally a very light stepper around the house when I need to be.

(Side note: I'm also the lightest sleeper you will probably ever meet. Much to my detriment.  Unfortunately it isn't hereditary so I can't blame any of my family members for an 'eyelash blink' that somehow wakes me up.)

Because I was too afraid to wake my nephew, I remained in bed; sure as I'll ever be that in the morning, I'd remember the words that I had at that exact moment. Yeah. Anyone who has a brain and who has ever made writing a hobby or a passion knows that is the decision to 'wait til the morning' is the dumbest one you can make in regards to writing. Because almost every time, you forget it - because you've slept.

I can't explain how much I believe in writing and how much it can actually make your 'darkly-dimmed day' turn into a subtle blue shade of hope; even if you don't necessarily feel it.  Once you write it, you lose the weight of it. It's as if you are taking the weight of whatever it is that is effecting you and you're putting on paper. After that point, it's not yours to carry anymore. It's your journal's job now. As weird as that may seem, it's true.

Even now, I've had such a long day. Everything right now is so beautifully graced and favored, but it is also very overwhelming because it is all very unknown. I've never done these things before, I've never seen these things before, and I've never had this much responsibility. But yet, all I can think of doing is writing. It's the only 'sane' thing to do in my head. I can't even begin any one of the 10 projects I need to work on because my mind is too full. And strange as it is, after writing this, I'll be good to go!

So my theory is this...Yes I said THEORY. I'm not trying to be 'weird' or over analyze anything here...just trying to say something that I believe with all my heart will honestly change your life if/when you begin doing it.

WRITE IT OUT! Write out your frustrations, your glories, your sadness, your joys, your failures, your triumphs, your fears, your dreams, and even write out your frustration with another person. Believe me, that's much much better than telling someone else who doesn't need to know that information. Gossip is ugly anyway, and it makes you unattractive. BUT FYI, just make sure you give that person a 'code name' so if they ever read it, you won't offend them later on when you've forgiven them for whatever silly thing happened between the two of you.

I also think that everyone can do this. No matter how many kids you have, whatever job you have, how much free-time you think you have. Write down how you feel, what you dream, what you hope...whatever! I know all kinds of people that do this. Maybe you don't have every day  to do this, but you've got once a week right? Try it. Try it for a month and tell me you don't feel better. Maybe you won't...but i'd honestly be surprised.

I love when young people come up to me with things they've written and want me to read it. It's real personal stuff; about family, or fears, or sadness, or their best friend. But I absolutely adore it! And I always let them know how proud of them that I am because it takes 'guts' to put how you feel on paper. It takes 'guts' to let someone else read it. But the more you write, the more you find satisfaction in it.

Will you write things that are horrible and probably don't have any point? Sure. At times, you'll probably write things and then later on read them and think 'what in the world was I thinking?" That's ok. We've all done it. But you learn every time you write. You learn more about yourself both in an academic way and in a personal way.

It's a real-raw-passionate-beautiful-process.

So...WRITE IT OUT! Just do it...you know you want to.

And when you've begun to write, you can then encourage someone else to write. But if you're going to write, don't write to hurt others-write to help others. I promise, if you go in with that mindset, you will most definitely help people.

We can learn so much from each other's life experiences.

Get it going...don't just sit there...really!

You are loved,
Nat