Confessions of a Busy Soul

Happy Friday everyone! For you local people, hope you are enjoying a break from the scorching sun and embracing the cooler weather. Thanks for coming back this week and reading about my exciting news.

Continuing with my no fear 2014 year, I have made another big step. A few months ago I had read about Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts which is this weekend August 14 to August 17, 2014. I was really interested in attending, but I had already had plans for this weekend way ahead of finding out about the festival and I couldn’t cancel those plans. But it got me really thinking about attending a festival and off to Google I went. Going to a writing festival has always been something I wanted to do for years, but I never felt like I could get the courage up to really go. I reassured myself this year was different and after Googling: writer festival Vancouver, writer festival BC, etc… I found one. There it was- the Whistler Readers and Writers Festival, October 17 to October 19, 2014. Of course I came up with several reasons why I shouldn’t or couldn’t go: we just arrive home on the Tuesday that week from Maui- that’s too much travel in a short time; I don’t think I could leave my son for the weekend- he’d miss me; I’m not a real writer-just pretending… and on and on it went for weeks.

One day a few weeks ago, I couldn’t get the festival off my mind. To be honest it was on my mind every day and that’s when I knew I had to go. This was a dream of mine and I had to see it through, in baby steps of course. The schedule wasn’t being released until August 8, so I convinced myself last month to find a hotel room that was refundable (in case I changed my mind) and book it. At least if I booked a hotel room for the weekend, I’d be one step closer yet have a way out if I panicked when the schedule came out and changed my mind. My fears eased. I got my Expedia.com email confirming my hotel room. Check step 1!

Next the panic leading up to when the schedule was being released. What workshops would there be? Would I want to go to any? Which writers would be reading their work? Could I really go this alone? Was I really this brave?

Last Thursday night I visited the website. www.whistlerwritersfest.com/2014-festival/ and found they’d put up the festival schedule, but the tickets weren’t on sale yet. My stomach did a huge flip-flop and I took a deep breath, reaching for a pen and paper. I scrolled through all the events details, chose the ones I was most interested in and wrote them down on my piece of paper. The next morning bright and early, I ran down to my laptop and refreshed my page. Tickets were available! With my heart racing, I added several workshops and one reading to my cart before I checked out. Only then did the panic of reality really hit me, if I clicked ‘Purchase’ there would be no refunds, no exchanges. These tickets would be mine and I’d have to go. No way out. I wasn’t going to just throw away money by cancelling in the end. I wiped the sweat away from my eyebrow. Yes my eyebrow sweats when I get nervous. I was so close to being a big fat writer chicken and not buying them, but in that moment, staring at my screen with the countdown clock counting down second by second before my tickets would then be released back to the public, I couldn’t let myself down… so I closed my eyes and clicked the mouse. Purchase!

So I am thrilled to announce, I am attending my first writers festival and I am so excited to be exposing myself to new opportunities. I am also ecstatic that I am going alone with just my laptop and plan to sit in my hotel room with the fireplace going, a glass of wine next to me and just write. Write, write, write as much as I can stand in that weekend, outside of my workshops of course. This is just for me. This is all about me, for me. It feels so good. I don’t know why I waited 31 years to be brave. Maybe it is only now that I can really appreciate my gift and don’t take it for-granted any longer. I want to nurture it, cherish it and pursue it to the best of my ability.

Whistler… look out, October 17th… I’m coming for you. 🙂

As for this weekend I encourage all of you reading to make something happen for you that is just for you. All about you. I give you permission to be a little selfish and treat yourself to something special, whatever it may be that your heart desires. Life is short and I remind myself every day I only get one shot at this life. I will not shy away from it any longer.

There’s my food for thought. Happy Friday!

❤ Melissa