True Story: I decided to take the long route. I rented a cabin in Long Beach, Washington to get away for five days from Portland, Oregon so I could write. The cabin had no wifi or TV. It was perfect. I could have taken the fastest route, a 2 1/2 hour drive, but I was sick of driving on Highway 26, which has become too familiar, too crowded, and boring.
I trusted my GPS and said f*ck it, I’m going to drive an extra 25 minutes in order to see new places and experience new terrain and enjoy the 2 hours and 45-minute drive.
Until…
Two hours and ten minutes later I looked ahead and saw what seemed like the longest bridge in the world going over the ocean. Not a river. The ocean. I live in a city of bridges (small ones) and have been over the Golden Gate and the Brooklyn Bridge many times, but this bridge went over a HUGE body of water (did I mention it was the ocean?) and it intimidated me. I started to panic. It’s called the Astoria bridge and on my little smartphone, it didn’t seem like much when I viewed it two hours before on the map. NOTE: it’s where the Columbia River empties into the Ocean and when you’re at the very top of the bridge you can see… the ocean and how this body of water is a part of it.
As I saw the bridge get closer I became frozen in fear. I thought it was at least five miles long (it’s actually 4 miles long) and saw how it goes WAY up and then WAY down and there is a section where you feel like you’re driving right on the ocean waves.
It was new. I was alone. I thought of pulling over and trying to figure out a route around the bridge. My emotional mind and my anxiety took over and I thought, “Am I really afraid to drive over this bridge?” The irony was that it was gorgeous. The sun was shining and I could see the white-capped ocean waves and the mountains ahead. I was about to cross over from Oregon to Washington. If you’ve ever been in this neck of the woods it’s ridiculously beautiful terrain.
I was listening to the book, “It’s Not Your Money” by Tosha Silver and in it, she tells us how nothing is ours. Not our money, not our cars, not our clothes, not our lives, and not this bridge. It’s all part of the divine. We are just living our beautiful lives, given to us as a gift from the divine, so I didn’t pull over. I knew this was part of the plan. I put on Spotify and a song came on called, “Midnight in Harlem” by the Tedeschi Trucks Band and decided to embrace the wonderful moment God had gifted me and not to resist.
Halfway over the majestic view, I thought, “I wonder if this is the right direction?” I honestly was convinced that I had made a wrong turn and was going the wrong way and would have to go back over the bridge. Instead, I thought, “So what? So what if this is the wrong direction? Maybe it’s the right direction and I just don’t recognize it. Just because it’s uncomfortable doesn’t mean I’m going in the wrong direction.”
And that’s how you write a book. You make a plan, you have a map and then you drive. You don’t sit at home staring at the map and hope you will magically arrive at a destination. You have to get off your butt and move, or in a writer’s case write. Sometimes you might find yourself in strange places. Unexpected places. New Places. Places you don’t want to be (like being on a bridge having a mini-panic attack) but you get through it and you feel exalted! Excited! You realize you’ve made it and even though you might feel off track, with the right support you can keep going.
I still had 20 more minutes to drive on highway 101 and I was flying high from the rush of that bridge knowing I chose to enjoy the journey.
(Full confession: I did pull over after getting over the bridge to look at my phone/map again to be sure, and sure enough, I was still in the right direction.)
Leaving your comfort zone and facing your fears isn’t easy, especially when you’re doing it alone. Especially when writing a book.
However, it’s important to realize it’s worth it. Once you learn to get over the fear of writing your book and you finish it, you know it’s not just about the book. Once it’s done you can live your life free from other fears and step into courage.
You can finally be the person you want to be and live the life you want to live.
Who might you become when you finish your dream book? Would you have closer relationships? Would you go somewhere you always wanted to go? Accept a promotion at work? Stand up for yourself more? Reconcile with someone important?
When we free ourselves from the anxiety of writing we free other parts of ourselves.
When you turn 50 everything seems like it’s either over or just beginning. I guarantee you – it’s just beginning.
When you write your dream book and learn how to step into your writing life you discover how many other things change. My “Create Your Dream Book” program is open but filing up and I only offer it to 10 women. I also have a 1:1 spot available for anyone who wants a lot of personal support. Hit me up if you want to learn more. We can jump on a call. Love, Dawn If you’d like to schedule a free call with me to get in the group (it starts in August and I only take 10 people max, we have 4 spots left) You can schedule a call with me at this link.
