I think everyone is a little afraid of beginnings. Your first day of school. Your first date. Your first kiss. Your first real job.

Amidst all of our excitement and hope, there is still fear. Fear of failure. Fear of the first impression being a lasting one. After we immerse ourselves in the glorious mess, we let go and enjoy the ride. Yet, nothing is as scary as the first mark on a clean, empty page.

Quick tangent: You should know this now. I like quotes. I like the distilled, crystallized meaning in a good quote. It’s not something I find much in my own writing, which is perhaps why I borrow it from others. Moving on …

Muriel Rukeyser once said: Let us nourish beginnings. Not all things are blest, but the seeds of all things are blest. The blessing is in the seed.

I have not read a single other thing written by this woman, but the truth of her words is not lost on me. You’ve got to nourish the seed, not the fear. A beginning is a blessing, regardless of the outcome. It is an opportunity to start something new – a reminder that we are living and alive. And even in our stumblings and mistakes, there is learning and wisdom to be found.

So, here is to my little seed of a blog! May it sprout lots of tangled roots and odd-shaped leaves, and take up all the dirt it needs to grow into whatever beautiful, green thing it is meant to be. Cheers!