The Jump

A few months ago one of my fellow writing friends, Marlene Casticato, was giving our writing group a pep talk. And she told us this story.

My brother, Jeff Horowitz, loves skydiving. I once asked him about the fear factor when it came time to jump. He said, "IT ISN'T ABOUT JUMPING, ITS JUST LETTING GO."

I loved this statement and haven't forgotten it. I have found myself repeating it over and over in my head, coaching myself since she said it.

JUST LETTING GO. It sounds so easy, but for many of us the letting go is the hardest part. Letting go of our babies hands when they take the first step. Letting them go to school for the very first time. Letting go of the keys when they want to borrow the car. Letting go when they have their first date or they fall in love for the very first time. What about letting a loved one go off to war? Or letting a child go off to college? Letting go of a loved one that has recently died?

Letting go isn't as easy as it may seem. For me it's one of the hardest things I have to do.

If you are wondering what I might be having such a hard time letting go? Well, right now it's my manuscript, Morgan Ranch. That is where I have found myself in the last few weeks. Trying to let go! Just do it! Let it go! But it has been harder than I thought. Which makes me wonder why letting go is so hard? What am I afraid of? I know what my fears would be if I was jumping out of a plane. In case any of you are wondering... that is one thing I will never do for pleasure! :) But why am I so afraid to move on to the next story? Next town? Next set of characters?

By letting go of the past you are opening up new doors into your future. We all know what the past holds and none of us know what the future holds. Is it fear that hold me back from my own dreams? I have to say, yes. But why? I still don't have the answer to that. Sometimes we have to just make that jump, even if we are not quite ready to let go.

So here I go. I am making that jump! And hopefully somewhere along the way, I will find the courage to LET GO! Tomorrow marks the day of a new beginning for me. I will be embarking on a new setting, with new faces, new challenges, new characters, new stories to unfold. I will keep you posted on how things are going.

I encourage everyone reading this to make that jump too. Whether it be taking the jump to start writing a new book, start that diet that you've been wanting to start, or just doing something that you've always wanted to do, but just didn't have the courage to LET GO. Take the jump with me friends, you are not alone. Together we will learn to LET GO.

I would love to hear from you. Please leave me a comment and let me know what you have trouble LETTING GO.

See you next time at Micole Writes Romance.

Hugs

Micole