I had this dream to get back to Europe. But I had picked up the contagion of travel fear. It was imprinted on my brain: stay home, stay safe. When my passport expired in 2021, I did nothing. The collective trauma of the pandemic had left me immobilized.
I kept meeting pilgrims and adventurers, creatives and healers, all doing things overseas—and the dream refused to die.
It took me until 2022 to make a microvement. (Micromovements are what the artist-writer Sark calls the tiny steps you take toward your goal.) I dug my passport out of the file and looked at it. I clicked the renewal website. This all went v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. A year later, I had my passport photo taken. Months went by before I mailed the application. At the end of 2023, I had my new passport.
But in my head ran this litany:
· adventures are too much trouble
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it takes so much planning to figure this out!
· what if I can't afford it?
I was daunted by finding flights, putting out money, facing my anxieties. I brought up my travel idea to my friend Julie.
She was enthusiastic, inquisitive, adventurous, curious. She had the observations and experience that could allay my questions and blanks. Teaming up with Julie made me accountable: I had someone to answer to, and a time frame to honor. This made everything real.
Julie did more than offer info and guidance—she came alongside. She brought sidesplitting laughter, creativity, playfulness, resources, bold actions, and wonderful company. Julie brought collage-making tools, yet another way could log our journey. She wasn't a distant guide, but someone who shared the experience with me. It was exactly what I needed in the middle section of my otherwise-solo trip.
This is how I aim to be as a coach: to come alongside, to experience *with.* You're not alone. I'm right there in the middle with you—writing or adventuring or discovering.
It's one thing to have an expert dump info. It's quite another to have a coach, mentor, or friend, who shares the journey. If you get a chance to learn with such a one, your takeaways increase exponentially.
Let this be a permission slip to get support for the dreams you are almost afraid to dream. Start with a micromovement - a phone call, an email. If you find yourself reaching out to me as your writing and creativity coach, I'll be here.
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