The Encore

Well, I made it a year.  And I’m proud of myself for doing something hard—being vulnerable, sharing my story, and sticking with it.

The other day, my daughter walked into the house and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Sewing a project,” I said.

“Why?”

“To prove I can do hard things.”

And then she said it…go ahead, you know what she said.

“To who?”

I paused.  I guess…to myself.

I’ve written before. I’ve shared my writing and received some really wonderful feedback, but I never truly stuck with it until now. My top readers are definitely my mom, my two aunts, and my two closest friends. They are always encouraging me, and knowing they’re there makes me want to keep writing and sharing.

When I look back at what I’ve written this past year, I see a lot of hard lessons learned, along with some pretty amazing memories that I’ll cherish for years to come. I see friendship. I see family. I see a little bit of fun. And I see pieces of myself that maybe I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t taken the time to write them down.

I think we all have a special talent inside of us, some little way we are meant to share our stories with the world. Taylor Swift tells hers through music. Others write books. And here I am, sharing mine through a blog.

Maybe that’s why I love the idea of an encore.

An encore is what happens when you think the show is over, but there’s still a little more to give. A few more songs. A few more stories. A few more moments you weren’t quite ready to leave behind.

Taylor Swift has even added songs to albums later on—little pieces that felt like they still belonged to the story. And maybe that’s what this is for me. My encore.

Not the beginning. Not necessarily the ending. Just another part of the story that I still want to tell.

As I sit in my home office reflecting on the past year, I feel happy. Even on the hard days, I realize how lucky I am to get to do a job I love—especially on the days when I get to do it from my home office, surrounded by the little pieces of life that make this place mine.

I see the hard days. I see the fun memories. I see the lessons, the people, the moments that made me laugh, and the ones that made me stop and think.  But most of all, I see reflection.  And I think reflection is something we all need to make time for. To look back at the good, to acknowledge the hard, and to be grateful for where each of those moments has brought us.

Maybe the most important lesson as we are finally moving into the fall temperatures is I’m learning that, just like the trees, it can be truly lovely to let things go.  And maybe that’s what this year of writing has really been for me. A place to reflect. A place to remember. A place to let go.  And now, after a year, I think I’m ready for my encore.

There are still stories to tell.  Stay tuned.