Saying Yes

It’s been so long since I wrote a blog post I may have forgotten how to do it! Impossibly I have now been living in the land of the blue rinse for almost two years. For the first year I mostly felt a sense of relief, and enjoyed being able to do nothing at all if I felt like it. 

Gets boring after a while...

Sometime during the second year, doing nothing started to lose its attraction - partly because an enduring knee injury prevented me from being physically active, and partly because, quite frankly, it’s boring!

In an attempt to do something about it, I decided I would try and say yes to more things that came my way. This has meant overcoming low self esteem, social anxieties and my classic ‘I can’t be bothered’ demeanour.

Was this a wise 'yes'?

I’ve written at length about my ‘boudoir shoot’ which did a massive amount to improve my confidence in myself at the time. Looking back, I still can’t quite believe I did it - it was my equivalent of a bungee jump over Niagara Falls, and I really had to force myself to say ‘yes’ not only to the shoot, but also to agreeing to the photos being shared.

Gin, peppercorns...who knew?

A seemingly trivial thing I said ‘yes’ to was going out with my sister-in-law for a drink. Writing it down seems ridiculous, but it was to somewhere I’d never been, with people I’d never met. Both things challenge me, and there were times when I would have made an excuse. But I didn’t, and not only did I have a lovely time, I tried lots of new gins too!

But the thing I said yes to that has had the most impact on me was agreeing to go along to a local writing group. A friend asked me, so I did know somebody, but after the first meeting I honestly thought that it wasn’t for me - everyone wrote poems, and there was a talk by an erstwhile author who had self-published two books. Not my cup of tea (or coffee - I don’t drink tea!) I missed the next meeting, but then was persuaded to try again, and I am so happy that I did. Each month gives me something to write about, I love listening to what others have written and everyone is so welcoming. 

I've got notebooks and everything!

Through the group I found a short creative writing course at the local library, which opened up even more horizons for me. I actually enjoy writing poetry now and proudly read my efforts to anyone who will listen! And at least if I’m unable to sleep I will muse on how I can interpret this month’s title, or how I can start my novel, instead of the usual worries that regularly keep me awake. Maybe now I need to find a reading group!