Okay, okay, I know that this is one of the most risqué questions to ask while we are still in the throes of Leo season, the time of year in which we celebrate fiery energy just ahead of the peak of the Lion’s Gate Portal tomorrow, one that is about fanfare and putting on a show for others to lust over!

I get it.

It’s mostly theatrics, this game of life that we play day in and day out. And the attention and feedback we get from others can be gold, especially on days when we are having trouble stoking the flames of our inner fire.

As an assigned-female-at-birth (AFAB) individual, a creative who has expressed myself in both words and body movement for the majority of my life, particularly while growing up on the stage (for dance recitals), basketball courts, and softball fields, I have been conditioned to create and express myself in performative ways.

And y’all, don’t get me wrong - I am somewhat of an exhibitionist and love putting on a good show. The attention I receive when on display is intoxicating at times, and gives me a high I could ride for days or weeks, even.

But it’s not sustainable, and is one of the many “acceptable” ways that I’ve been taught to outsource my power throughout my life.

Yesterday morning, the blanket of smoke lifted just enough in the skies here in Western Mass that I was able to take a walk out in the gardens across the street.

It felt, in some ways, like the first warm days after winter, when the snow and ice begin to thaw, and there is a hint of new life again. What a peculiar and strange sensation to feel this “thaw” in the heat of summer in August.

During my garden wanders, I happened upon a kind stranger, a human in his late 60s who used to live in the valley and tend a garden plot right there in the community gardens. He’d since moved up to the hill towns and was back in the valley for a dentist appointment.

He’d stopped at the gardens to, quite literally, smell the flowers.

We met in front of a patch of bee balm and mused about the many varieties of pollinators and how we silly humans think we are above the rest of nature, how we somehow forgot that we are an integral part of it, too.

The conversation meandered to reminiscing about our performative sports histories, from ice hockey to basketball, about the importance of practicing and play.

He spoke in a poetic way - a characteristic I tend to pick up on pretty easily, and I reflected this back to him.

“There’s poetry in you,” I observed.

Then asked, “Do you write?”

He went on to tell me that he used to be a Peer Counselor for those in substance use recovery and that many clients and friends alike had encouraged him to write.

The conversation meandered once again, and I revealed that I am a creative and spiritual coach, that my primary mediums are poetry and dance (poetry in motion).

During another pause in conversation, I felt the question come forth and asked him…

He chuckled and affirmed,

“I really want to start writing soon.”

Then paused for a moment, furrowed his brow, and inquired,

“But who would I write for? I have no idea if anyone would even want to read my work or who my audience should be.”

I smiled and curiously offered,

“Do you need to have an audience? What might happen if you just did it for you?”

I witnessed an almost immediate softening and opening in him, a feeling I am personally familiar with and have witnessed in my clients as well… relief, as if a weight had been lifted.

I then went on to add,

“Those who want to read it will come, especially if you write it for you first.”

We parted ways not long after that, he back to the hill towns and I to slowly weave my way through the rows of growing things spilling out from carefully crafted plots.

INVITATION(s):

Though this entire email was an invitation for you to consider the questions I asked this kind stranger, I am going to drop a couple more direct invitations here:

🦁 An invitation for you to get curious about the question “What might happen if you did it for you instead?” It might be writing or dancing or speaking your mind. It might be cooking dinner or planning a day trip or picking out the clothes you’ll wear today. I invite you to get curious about what it might be like to do it for you instead of for the approval of anyone else.

🦁 Another invitation for you to join us for the Surrendirt to Poetry “fire-themed” workshop replay and explore how to write for you today at 3pm EST by clicking HERE.

(fun fact: I craft every one of these workshops for myself first, and the super cool thing that happens is that the people who show up end up loving them, too!)

Note: If you can’t make it to the replay drop, you can still join and access this and all other replays and future events at the community membership link below.

🦁And yet another lasting and sustainable invitation to commit to living these questions in creative community with us by signing up for a Surrendirt to Community membership HERE.

I’ve even added in a cute little discount code for you to get 20% off your first month when you join the “Create” tier from now until September 5th.

🔥🔥The code to use at checkout is: C5198 🔥🔥

Questions about sign-up, and/or want to let me know what happened when you did the thing for you instead? Hit “reply” to this email and let me know!