Dear reader,
I’ve spent way too much time thinking about this first post and what I wanted to say. I felt pressure to have everything about this blog figured out before I made my first post, but in the end, two things are true. The first thing is, I have no idea what I am doing. By day, I am a physical therapist; I am not web designer, not a career writer, not a marketer. I am coming into this world without any knowledge of how to create or develop a successful blog, aside from what I discovered through a few Reddit threads. The second thing is, this blog is mine and I can do whatever I want with it. Over the last few years, I’ve had deep aches for a creative life that felt difficult to pursue because of the choice to enter the healthcare field. There are guidelines, rules, and expectations when working in healthcare that provide restricted freedoms in how I practice the artistic side of physical therapy. Or at least, that’s been my perceived experience in the last two and a half years. But this blog will have all the freedom I could imagine and I am in full control of what it is and what it becomes which is very exciting to me.
I frequently find satisfaction with helping my patients meet their goals to live the lives they want, but there are moments where I wonder if I am helping myself in the same way. In those moments, I am afraid of getting stuck in a position where I enter the narrative of “at least this pays the bills” and fall into a repeating cycle of mundanity and never-ending fatigue. I’m not that naïve to think there is a perfect job out there where I will be happy to wake up every single day, ready and excited to go to work. But I sense deep in my gut that there is more I can offer; I just don’t know what yet.
I bought this domain name while I was on a solo trip in Maine back in April. This trip came at just the right time; I needed a break from work and to return to an activity that I enjoyed but hadn’t done in a couple years: traveling to and hiking the national parks. I spent a few days in Bar Harbor for easy access to Acadia National Park (highly recommend) and then a couple days in Portland to catch up on a few things that are not relevant to this post. I had the time to unwind and reflect on what I value for my life and what I really want to do with my time while I’m here. In a nutshell, all I want to do is find and live a joyful life. I’m not implying I don’t live a good life already because I do. But I know I could get outside my comfort zone a little more, push myself a little further to really discover my true purpose in life, whatever that may be.
And that’s essentially what this blog is going to be: a journal for me to reflect on different thoughts, ideas, and experiences and maybe, a place where a community can form for those on the same exploration. I know these blog posts are not going to be perfect and I’m honestly expecting the first few to be not great. But that’s ok. Success comes with time and growth. I’m just ready to get started.
🙂