Tuesday, September 16, 2014

The girl's gotta write...

Deep breath. Feels strange that I should be so nervous. Likely no one but my mom and sister will read this and they love me almost entirely without judgement so... 

Nope. No good. Still nervous. There they are. The butterflies in my belly. At least they're flying in formation. 

It's the first post on the new blog. That's scary. While I have ridden the proverbial bike before, this time it's just me, front and center. Last time I found myself in a similar spot -- first post, new blog -- I was merely trying to be accountable to a new practice, and I could hide behind my fitness guru. Plus, quite honestly, after 30 days I thought I'd be done with it. Turns out I enjoyed it. Who knew? The thing that kept me coming back was both the writing and the growing community that sprung out of our collective improvement (read -- suffering, aches, pains, crazy ass moves, and weird food lol).

So what's brought this new space about, then? If I love writing so much why not simply carry on where I was? 

Because there is only so much one can say about a single topic. I'd very badly wanted to branch out but I held back because I felt it was somehow misleading to have a blog about one thing, only to have a new reader show up in search of that thing and discover a post about something entirely different. Whaaat?! So I found myself showing up less and less. I believe some months I only posted once or twice. That wasn't fair to anyone, myself included. It was time to draw the curtain closed.

I decided to turn the page. A new day, new blog, new topics.

Now, those that want the Method can seek out active sites that are eagerly exploring Tracy's work and those that came to hang out and read my raving mad run-on sentences can come here. Win win.

What can you expect of this space? Same same but different. It's homey and familiar yet different and new. Same voice, same spirit, but now we have more room to play!

What I'm hoping is that it'll be like having a regular standing coffee date. 



We'll be just like a coupl'a gal-pals hanging out on the porch or at the corner cafe, talking shit and giggling like school girls. 

I got the idea last week while savoring my matcha by the lake in the wee hours of the mourn on vaycay. That's where I took the above photo. And it's times like that that the best ideas come, don't you find?

I thought, why not try something new? September was just built for new adventures, wasn't it?

Maybe you woke up on a Tuesday only to realize that you're hell and gone from where you'd imagined yourself to be. Or you looked in the mirror on some random evening and the person starring back at you looked less like you and more like a stranger. Or maybe it struck you at lunch one day that your life has turned out so much better than you'd ever dreamed it could be. Maybe you woke up in the middle of a life you dreaded living and you got busy and did something about it.

What I'm truly hoping this space might give us is a venue to share how we can get to where we want to be, or to help us feel some relief when we're not our best selves, or to simply spark our curiosity or pique our imaginations in some way, or give us the courage and moxy to try new things; to believe that if we leap the net will indeed appear.



I hope to share more photos with you, exchange travel stories, maybe swap recipes, and tricks to improve the overall quality of our lives. We'll talk about the books we're reading and our favorite movies. We can bitch about aging, I for one can tell you that 40 is definitely not the new 20 and getting old ain't all she's cracked up to be. But I think we can both agree that it's better to get over the hill than find ourselves buried under it. Together we'll explore the "wonderful crisis of midlife."

You can even visit me while you're at work. I won't tell. It'll be our little secret. Hope to see you soon.

Love,
Shan

29 comments:

  1. What a beautiful beginning... What a great way to start... This is just what I needed, a place to hang with you and the rest of your readers, all of us who enjoy your writing so much. I love the fact that words never fail you. I am always struggling trying to find the right word when I write, I always have to think long and hard before the right word comes up. When I read your posts, words seem to flow delicately like a small stream of a river. Your writing is witty, funny, intelligent, sweet, endearing... I am so looking forward to this space...
    Thank you so much for creating it
    Love
    Natalia

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    1. Natalia,
      The way you just wrote "flow delicately like a small stream"... beautiful.
      AND you speak more than one language! You're amazing. Thank you so much for coming here to play. It means the world.

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  2. Shan I LOVE your new blog idea and I'm so excited to see your spread your wings and write about whatever comes to mind, without it having to be even vaguely related to Tracy's Method!
    You're right, the 40's are definitely NOT the new 20's! I know you & I can't be the only people wondering what the hell this decade is all about and what changes we can expect, so its a great platform to share funny stories of our survival of this unfamiliar territory! As long as you're stil young at heart then the rest can be whatever, we'll deal with it hey!
    Looking forward to your upcoming posts... hope it reignites your love for writing a blog!
    Janice. xxx

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    1. Thank you Janice. I am so looking forward to exploring this new decade together too, young at heart is the way to go.
      Thanks for hanging out!

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  3. looks awesome bliss! Will pop in and give you my two cents as that is my right at your big bliss! :)
    love you!!! Now get writing!

    ;)
    love you BIG!

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  4. Love the new space -- it's cozy, and inviting, and quintessentially you. Looking forward to this new journey friend!

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    1. Thank you so much Marcia, I'm looking forward to new discoveries together too!

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  5. I feel the butterflies!!! There is some magic in this virtual space already!!!! Love your writing and your gentle warrior spirit, Shan. Coffee dates with you sound awesome! I am so looking forward to reading your new writing adventures :)

    Much love,
    Sonya

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    1. Eeeeeeee, Sonya, that makes me so happy. Thank you so much.
      I think it's going to be fun. Thanks for coming to hang out.

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  6. Yay!!

    I'm so happy that your ramblings are going to continue to be part of my life!
    I was honestly somewhat flattened to think the line would go silent.

    Plus there some really fab people with lots of interesting views and life experiences on this blog, I'm relieved we all have a shiny, new, fresh trampoline to play on together!

    Thanks Shan!!!!!

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    1. Yay! Sophie, I am delighted to have you here. It does feel like a shiny new trampoline, doesn't it? Eeeeeeeee. Excitement abounds!

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  7. I am so excited about this!!! Otherwise, I would be missing your voice terribly after the end of MTM. Hooray, Shan!!!

    BTW, "Hope for the Flowers" is an excellent little gem of a book. I love that we seem to adore so many of the same authors & works - let's see: Nora Ephron, Gretchen Rubin, each and every health and fitness book you have ever mentioned... ;)

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    1. OMG Hush, we totally do. Not many people know Hope For The Flowers and it is one of my absolute faves! So great that you like it too.
      This is going to be so fun. Thanks for showing up!

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  8. I'm so excited for you, my beautiful friend! Rock star as always!! Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

    Love,
    Jess

    P.S. We're still all J, baby!

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    1. Hey you!! I have been so loving your home reno pics on IG, that floor looks freaking amazeballs. Congrats on everything lovely. Come hang here when you finally get a break! Miss you.

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  9. Good luck on the new Journey Shan!! Love EK and Freckles xo

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    1. Thank you so much!! I really appreciate that.

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  10. Squeeeeeeeeeee!

    That expresses my excitement about your new blog!

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    1. Best sound evah!!!! Gia. Thank you. I'm so glad you're here and I promise, we're still gonna talk about Tracy and fitness and health, but also a ton of other fun stuff!

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  11. Yes! So happy you're still around! :)

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    1. Thanks a million Nichoel, I am happy to have you here too!!

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  12. Whew! Oh, friend . . . . missed you. I can't wait to see what this brings to you . . . and to all of us! LOVE your photos on IG by the way!

    Love, Donna and Josey (woof)

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    1. Hi Donna!! It makes my heart sing to hear you say that. Thank you.
      How is your knee?? And of course love to Josey.

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  13. Hi M.
    Thank you so much for showing up and stopping by. I love Lena Dunham, but I will also admit that I am not a fan of her show, I gave up after 2 episodes, but it's gotten rave reviews from many. But Lena the writer, the person in interviews, she's terrific. Thanks for sharing this, now I'm even more jealous of her than I was before, Nora Ephron was her mentor!?! Whaaat! So unfair. No, seriously she's super lucky to have had that and I for one will grab her book and devour it, thanks for letting me know about it.
    As for confidence, no matter how much you have, no one can pull off tevas with socks. No one. Ha ha ha.
    Thank you for being glad to have my voice in your head, I'm equally glad to have your head to get into!
    Big hugs

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  14. Just found your new BLOG! How I missed it, I don't know. I am so stoked for this new bend .... it opens up so many possibilities!!!! Can't wait to see all you share and new avenues we all cross. YIPPEEEEE! I thought I lost you forever.

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    1. You could never lose me, Trish. Not really. I sure am glad you came over tho, this adventure is so much more fun with all you girls around the table!

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  15. You just made my day! I am soooooo excited to have just found your new blog! I look forward to sharing this journey with you and hearing your thoughts! WOW! I really missed you and a place to come with my morning coffee!
    Laura

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    1. Hi Laura. Welcome. Get cozy,b e ready for crazy love days and hate days and rants and laughs. So so so glad you came!!! I'm excited too sister.

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