“Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”
–Rumi (via Online Wellness Network)
I like this quote, and my first thought when reading it was that I didn’t remember that the pull of doing something I love for the first time felt strange at all.
But as I thought more about it, and remembered back to October of last year when I began to consider writing my first poem as an adult, I remember thinking:
“Poetry? Are you nuts? What do you know about writing poetry? What are you thinking?
“I’m not a poet!” Then I wrote a poem and became one. Then another poem, and another. I’ve probably written 40 or 50 in 4 or 5 months.
Some in my judgment stank. Others actually seemed to me to be pretty decent. Not great, but decent.
As a new poet, they are all part of my journey. And I found it interesting but not completely surprising that some folks seemed to really like my stinkers, and others weren’t fond of the ones that I thought were decent.
That’s why I post them all instead of self-censoring.
Hopefully, over time my decent-to-stinker ratio will improve.
In the meantime, I’m having fun.
So whether the pull to do what you really love feels strange or not, I encourage you to go for it! And if you hear the self-defeating self-talk as I did, realize that is your ego talking, and focus on what your spirit is telling you.
I’ve found that my ego often lies to me, but my spirit is as true as the North Star.
Love,
Russ
Russ Towne's A Grateful Man 
It’s how I feel about the poetry I write Russ…certainly amateur but sometimes the words just flow and I really write to express myself anyway so when the mood hits…I write a poem…Diane
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Diane. To me, poetry is simply another form of writing. As are lyrics, music, and so many other types of self-expression.
Russ
Follow your spirit! Yes! What a great post! xo
Thank you for your kind and enthusiastic comment, Misifusa!
Russ
Great advice Russ – follow your bliss 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to comment, Lorri. It’s always good to hear from you.
Russ
Great words of wisdom here Russ… and I do enjoy your poems.. ask me I think your a natural…
Thank you for being a great fan, my friend!
Russ
You have a magical spirit Russ – long may you follow it…
Thank you for your delightful comment, Mimi.
Russ
I love your poems. I didn’t know you were just writing these. You’re a natural. And this is coming from one poet to another. 🙂
Thank you for you kind comment, Jolyn. It put a smile on my face.
Russ
I was just thinking the other night about how I would have missed out on so many amazing experiences in life, had I let my fear stop me. One blessing, in particular, has changed my life in so many ways – and I almost walked away from it!
Such great words of advice. And please, keep on sharing your poetry with us! It’s wonderful to watch you grow 🙂