No Limits

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. I’ve been writing so much for others, that I haven’t written any of my own stuff. It’s almost like I’ve been silenced, lost in the construct of forming others’ sentences and thoughts.

It’s OK, and I’m happy to have work. But I want to start writing my own words, too, so that I can create my own essays and books. And yes, get back on my ‘sweet life’ track.

So here’s a kick-start:

I recently started painting and realized that for most of my life I’ve been setting my own limits by defining myself by two simple things: Skiing and writing. More to the point, I’ve been limiting myself by setting out to define myself, period.

It’s so easy to identify ourselves through our activities, and I chose the two at which I excelled. I’d always say I couldn’t do anything else. I was just a girl, just a skier. Just a writer.

And so, when I mixed colors in the palette to form just the right shade of green, and played with brush strokes to create texture on the canvas, I discovered I could paint. Where had this been all my life? It was fun, it was release, it wasn’t bad, it’s on my wall.

I realized that by telling myself and the rest of the world stories (“I’m not good at art, I suck at math,”) and showing up through my defined identity, I’d been holding myself back. Who are we, truly? We’re ever evolving and we have to be open to that. And we have to stop selling ourselves short, so that we miss out on life.

So who am I? Well, a girl who can ski, and write and paint… And I love horses and the way the grass smells after the rain, curling up with my dogs, and heck, hiking. I hike. Who are we truly? Just people, I guess. And we can do anything.