Comfort Zone Challenge - Day 18

It all started the day my older brother brought home a guitar.  It could have been that I thought anything my brother did was cool, or it could have been how easy he made playing it look, or it might have been how beautiful I thought the guitar sounded, but whatever it was, something happened to me that day.  I fell in love instantly with everything about playing the guitar. 

After that day, there was no stopping me.  I bought a guitar, took lessons, and spent most of my free time practicing.  I was excited at my progress, and quickly turned in to a 20th century version of Mary Bennett, "always impatient for display".  I signed up for my high school's talent show, cornered my friends whenever they stopped by to visit, and wearied my family with the constant stream of music coming from my bedroom. 

The next logical step in my guitar playing seemed obvious.  I  needed to write my own music.  I started out by writing simple three chord songs, and once I started, I couldn't stop.

I took my guitar along with me to college, and happily, had many opportunities to share my music.  I began writing music more prolifically, and soon had a good collection of my original songs. I played in small on campus concerts, in pizza shops, in cafe's, wherever I could. 

After I graduated from college and got married, I continued to nurture my love of music.  I even had the opportunity to play in a band, perform widely in my community, and record a cd.  I was writing songs, playing the music I loved, and continuing to improve.

When the time came for my family to move to a new town, I also seemed to move away from my dedication to making music a major part of my life. 

I haven't written a new song in five years.

I've been intimidated by the thought of trying to write another song, convinced that those days of music and creativity were over.

This comfort zone challenge is teaching me to question those absolutes I've set for myself.  So, this morning I woke up and wrote a song.  I'm not creatively dead after all!

I surprised myself at how comfortable I felt with guitar and pen in hand again.  It was like riding a bike!  The words and music flowed easily from me, and I felt a renewed sense of creativity.  I've missed it more than I realized.

Today's a new day, let's make it purposeful!
Kara