Tuesday, August 5, 2014

It Takes a Village



You know how they say it takes a village to raise a child? Well my new baby arrived today. Not the human kind, the monster kind. This baby was born of years of doodling, and "Someday I will..." and dreaming, and then little tiny baby steps. Just one paragraph. Just one painting. Just one little bit at a time. Because I couldn't bear to think about the whole thing at once, it was just too scary, too much. So I broke the whole process down into little tiny steps, to make it manageable for my easily overwhelmed brain. I refused to look up at the mountain peak, and instead looked down at my feet. Just one more step, that's all you have to do. Just one more step.

And now it is done. Today I reached the top of the mountain. Today I held my book in my hands for the first time. It feels every bit as significant for me as my human children. This is a dream I have breathed into life. This is a crazy, ridiculous, amazing thing I have done.

And now the whole process starts all over again. Not the process of birthing the book, but the process of taking this baby by the hand out into the world. And I have big dreams for this baby. Dreams that are bigger than I can possibly make happen myself. So here is a big challenge for me. I have to start asking for help. I have to reach out and ask people to believe in this dream as much as I do. 

I have years of experience in coordinating groups. I have organized benefit concerts, workshops, a compilation CD, community events, a petition, and block parties up the wazoo. But here is the thing for me. I'm usually doing those things in service to a cause outside of myself. And even then, I tend to do more than my share of work rather than asking for help. But this baby is going to need a village if I am going to give it the life I want for it. So I'm starting now, to reach out to my village, to ask for help. I can't do this alone. I need to be bold and shameless if I am going to make this happen. I need to be OK with showing just how incredibly proud I am of this baby. In short, I need to be everything that women are taught not to be, and everything that I have struggled with most of my life. 

So wish me luck, as I raise my village in service of my baby. It's a brand new day. I'm at the top of the mountain, but now there is another peak to climb.


4 comments:

  1. So happy to enjoy another baby with you! So glad to embark on the climb!

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  2. Well done, Joyelle - Bravo! So beautifully written, and joyful, as you are... Keep going! Please share more about the content, message, and value of the book... your readers may have ideas and marketing venues to share with you.

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  3. Congrats Joy! Way to go girl. Wishing you all the best and every success.

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  4. That last comment was from me Sue Musleh. Don't know why it says unknown. Lol

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