“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”   Anais Nin

I got so much response to the piece I wrote yesterday about Belly Dancing and my feelings about my stomach, I want to thank everyone for writing to me.

Although different, so many of your stories echoed my own.   There was so much understanding and encouragement.

I knew I wasn’t alone in this, but reading about other people’s experiences brings it closer, forming a connection, like an invisible thread reaching between us.

I felt so good yesterday after hitting the publish button on my blog.  I didn’t realize how much this was  weighing on me.  But it has been for most of my life.   It was as if I had finally come to the moment of truth and there was no turning back.

Telling our stories and listening to each other’s stories is so important.  And I’m grateful to have my blog as a way of doing both.  I’ve never had any interest in writing in a journal.  I think because, for me, writing, like my art, is about making connections. It’s about not feeling so alone in the world.  Maybe even finding a place of belonging.

I can see that my blog has become a safe place for me.  A place where I can speak my truth even when it’s difficult or painful.   It’s a place of sharing and connecting.  And we couldn’t do any of that without each other.   So, thank you all, for making it possible.