rise to the call…

So I had this idea.

It blossomed one day last week from knowing that the summer was officially upon me.  Despite what sometimes feels like a complete switcharoo (one day, writer/circle facilitator/ artist… next day, full time mama–  can’t you just hear the theme to Wonder Woman humming in the background?!),  I wanted to somehow stay connected to my work, to my mission of awakening the MOXIE in every living soul on the planet.  I wanted to expand my tribe, open lines of dazzling conversation, and extend my thanks to those who inspire me regularly (and many of them don’t even know it).   I wanted to loosen my grip on the reigns, give up some control, and be willing to receive the blessings that show up for me every single day  (and I often don’t even know it).

The idea took hold of me.

It pulled at me while I painted and listened to Byron Katie. It nudged me while I played dozens of games of Parcheesi with the kids.  It woke me from a deep sleep at night. It tugged at me during those quiet early morning moments when I wrote down my first thoughts of the day in my journal.

It was persistant.  BOLD.  And even a little ornery.

And it was a little scary too.

Perhaps I could have big summer blog hullabaloo.  Perhaps my little corner of the world wide web could be a platform for all of the voices I admire to come together and inspire greatness and fortitude and power….  a grand stage with brightly colored balloons and crepe paper and kazoos that makes it safe to toot our horns without all the pretense…  a place to dig in and own our own sovereignty without the fear of appearing arrogant or intimidating or over the top.   Perhaps together we could stir up some collective juju that not only empowers anyone who happens to stop by and read my blog, but serves also as a magical elixir for the contributors themselves.

Perhaps.

So I wrote up an invitation and sent it to women I consider wild and mischievous and daring.  I sent it to those who I adore like a sister, those who I’m curious about, those who I simply feel called to reach out to and who I’ve never ever spoken to in “real life.”  I sent it to women who intimidate the hell out of me, women who move me, women who make me belly laugh, women who inspire me to think in different ways.  I sent it to mentors, clients, friends, and even to my own mother and daughter.

My mind flooded with what ifs…  what if I extend the invitation, and no one responds?  What if I sound/appear ridiculous?  What if it turns out that I’m not a very good host?  What if  I take the leap and fall oh-so-ungracefully flat on my face?  What if I’m simply not enough?  What if I’ve completely lost my marbles?  What if, what if, what if????

Despite the fear, I mashed the SEND button.

And holy freakin’ moly.  The responses I’ve received. The hell yeses. The encouragement.  The gratitude.

There are times that I shrink, hide, dodge, and mute my own spirit in order to make everyone else around me more comfortable and avoid shaking things up.  There are times when I get afraid to put myself out there and I ask  myself, who am I to think that what I have to say is important?  There are times when I complicate things because simple seems WAY too easy and because I live in a culture that values struggle and drama and IMPACT.  There are times when I tone down my own fierceness in order play by the rules.

Sound a tiny bit familiar?

The truth of the matter is that no one benefits from that.  NO ONE.

We could all use an invitation to celebrate our own sassiness, honor our moments of untamed prowess, come back to ourselves when it feels as though life has drained every last bit of energy out of our systems, and create one BIG, BRAVE HULLABALOO.

And so…  I hope you dare to join us.  Throughout the summer, sprinkled throughout each week on my blog will be spontaneous bits of amazingness… power surges…  doses of wisdom, self-love, and creative fire….  wildness from a slew of women who might not always get the opportunity to express it freely…  you don’t want to miss ‘em.  Believe you me.  And it is my deepest wish that YOU too will be empowered to rise to the call of  your own GREATNESS.  You never know where it might take you.

And if you would like to join in the festivities and dare to be witnessed and loved in all your glory, I’d love to share your story too…  just drop me a line for all of the juicy details.   

Many a star awaited your gazing upon it to glimmer.
Many a wave lifted itself from the past to meet your seaside arrival.
You passed beneath an open window when a violin yielded itself to someone.
All this was a sacred trust.
Did you rise to the call?

~Rainer Maria Rilke

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