Before I had even reached the end of my last fall from the perch of greatness, it occurred to me that I need to email her.
And moments later, I had opened a new email, written a shout-out to my writing mentor and sent it, all virtually without even really thinking about it. Afterwards, I was very sheepish and kicked myself for sending it. She was bound to not reply for days. She'd be busy, she'd roll her eyes when she opened it, she'd write it off as coming from a lame-o who doesn't know what she's doing so why is she even bothering to bother....
I got her reply this morning when I checked my mail. Let me tell you, it lifted me out of the doubt again. Coming from a published and established author and journalist, the words on the screen gave me a feeling of "Yeah... exactly! I know all this!" but somehow, because it had come from someone detached from my inner circle, friends, family, or any combination of all three, it really spoke directly to me.
Just to share it in part, I have saved the quote from Mandela (which I have also read before but, like so many great things which I wish I could remember verbatim when I need to draw strength from them, of course I had forgotten it or even to go looking for it). Here it is, for anyone else out there intending to write (or write again).... one day.... *wink*
“ Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. "
