Moving Forward

     I enjoy writing a fair amount and have done so in various stages of my life. It's calming and allows a person to express their feelings without requiring someone else to listen to them who may not even care about what stories are being told. Writing allows people to collect their thoughts and helps force us to consider what's on our minds. It also allows us the opportunity to go back and reflect over how we were 10 yrs ago or what was bothering us 6 months ago, or even how foolish we were last week. Hindsight and reflection can change our perspective on how we move forward in life, and that's really what we ought to be doing every day- take some time to reflect by ourselves and then apply what we've learned.

     In the past I've usually written in such a way that either no one would be able to read it or I made myself anonymous so no one I knew would know it was me writing. That allowed me to feel free in expressing myself without worrying what others may say or how their opinions might affect me, but I've realized that limits what I can ultimately get out of writing. A couple people close to me have pointed out numerous times that I'm a very private person. And I am, in many ways. I like sharing what I like to share and if I ever feel threatened by someone not wanting to know or care about what I'm saying, or that the person won't understand and will judge me for what I say then I simply keep that to myself. Usually. It can be quite difficult at times feeling like you can't share what's important to you, or how you're struggling, with the most important people you love and value. It all comes at a price though. By being overly private, people begin to stop asking about personal things. They stop caring, possibly so they don't feel responsible for the decisions you make. It's a heavy price to pay once you actually feel open to sharing with and trusting them.

     What I've come to realize is that I need more accountability in my life and I need to be able to openly express myself. I've held so much in over the years and I regret it taking so long for me to feel this open to sharing my life with others. Some of the people I'm closest to or love may find my openness and honesty to be too much. They may criticize me or leave me, and I'm finally at a point that I feel I'm not responsible for their actions and will survive without them if that's what they choose. My heart has also been changing over the last year and there are some people I either need to reconcile with or remove from my life completely. I don't know how I'll deal with that yet, but I'm preparing myself.

     The main purpose for creating this new blog is to keep me moving forward. I invite those who read it to continue with me on my journey. Let's enjoy the ride.

- An Adventurous Soul