THAT is the question.

You see? Today is my fourteenth day of blogging in a row. And guess what? I have writer’s block. Staring at the computer’s clock with only minutes left before midnight, I’m pondering why I have chosen to do this. Who am I to write about my life? Of what value is my life? Why expose my private thoughts and experiences when many people (perhaps wisely) would choose to keep these types of things to themselves?

I’m not going to lie: writing a blog is sometimes uncomfortable. When blogging, it becomes so apparent that my life never operated in a bubble. Choices I and others made ricocheted, branding either dark scars or beautiful rainbows (or both) in our very souls. So while I desire complete transparency, it’s safe to say that not everyone will appreciate this approach if they happen to feel I portrayed them in a poor light. My adult children may feel dismayed when learning my truths, and my mother could be angry that I haven’t yet learned to keep my big mouth shut.

So that right there is the problem: I have writer’s block because although I have so much I’m ready to write, I’m worrying…a lot. What if my blog inadvertently hurts someone else? What if my frank display of information or emotion comes back at a cost to my career? What if I accidentally ruin a friendship? And what about the most important and sensitive topic: Family relationships? My desire to blog doesn’t supersede my need for loving relationships in my family!

So, I’m here, writing anyway, because I’ve promised myself that I will not quit showing up on my dreams. Simply put, I find joy in writing, and I wish to leave my legacy, for better and for worse, in writing. I want to document life as I perceive it. And I don’t want to worry about judgment anymore. I’m done hanging my head in shame about my imperfect life. I’m also done hiding the joy I feel about my successes.

After a lifetime of obsessing about the size of my butt, the amount of money in my bank account, the way someone looked at me, or how perfect my housework was done, I’m stating a strong NO! to that crap. In my blog life, I’m ready to lay down all those insecurities and boldly go where few are willing: The truth, and nothing but the truth, every day.