Fledging

A bald eagle chick practices flapping its wings in the nest atop a tall pine. Next it tries beating its wings into the wind and taking short hops above the nest. One day, a big gust of wind catches the bird's open wings and whisks it away.

That, my friends, is what is referred to in bird world as "fledging". I may not be a bird, but I sure am hopping around, beating my wings and hoping for that gust of wind to take me to wondrous far off places. Places with new faces, new smells, new trees, new foods. Yet, I feel stuck in the nest. Stuck beating my wings in frustration as I watch others fly around in awe of all that lay before them. Granted, I have a pretty nest. A welcoming nest for friends to fly in and say hi, encouraging me in my wing attempts. A nest that, really, isn't that bad, except, of course, that it's a NEST!

Wow, much of that probably didn't make much sense to anyone who isn't currently inside my head. See, I have a job that pays the bills, I love the women I work with, have caring and fun friends around, a cute new apartment, and live in one of the most vibrant cities in the US. From the outside, I really shouldn't complain. But is that all there is to life? Perhaps for some it's enough, but for me, not even close.

That is why I've decided to restart this blog. I have a deep desire to be part of people's lives and to give them a platform for sharing their stories. To do so, I need to write, and write well. I need to get out of my head, out of the idea of perfection, and just write. So here it is. Imperfection and all. I have no idea when or where from the gust of wind will come, but I know I won't be able to catch it unless I'm hopping around and beating my wings.

I hope you'll fly by my nest, share your stories, and perhaps perch a time or two on my nest to hear mine.

-amanda