...beginnings...

We roamed for four miles around Creve Coeur Lake, Kate and I.

And I was glad to have worn my long johns – the air was much chillier than the lying sun let on. Even it's bright rays couldn't warm us against the harsh winter wind. There was a calm and quiet, though, that is rare for such a popular place. We encountered only a handful of travelers along the way. And we chatted, as we always do, bouncing around between subjects and ideas, settling here one moment, and there the next. We spent a significant amount of time on the subject of beginnings.

Have I ever told you how I came to start this blog?

Initially, I had wanted to start a blog about kids and music. And what spurred that on was the thought that we might not be able to have kids. Basically, I wanted to teach people how to bring music into their kids lives the way I would have brought music into my kids lives.

So began my endless research. I looked up questions like, what is the best blog platform, and how often should I write, and what tools will help me be a better blogger. I was obsessive over the blog title and the theme. I created a calendar for when and what I would post (I'm still getting reminders.)

Then, one day I began typing up my thoughts, about life, about where I was, about what I wanted, and almost without thinking, I edited one of the blog platforms that was already prepared and posted those thoughts. But it was telling people about this new adventure that was most terrifying. I stared at the links for Facebook and twitter and weighed my options for quite sometime before finally sharing my blog. That night, I barely slept, fearful I would wake up a laughing stock.

I have only been met with kindness and support...thank you for that.

Beginnings are messy. The fear of stumbling keeps us so stagnant, that we mistakenly assume stagnant is where we are safe. The desperate need for perfection keeps us editing and re-editing ourselves into oblivion. And in all this, we lose sight of the hope and promise of a fresh adventure.

Kate's been taking some big first steps lately. Over the past few weeks, she has made another one of her dreams a reality by starting an opera company. Gateway Opera, named because it intends to be a gateway into the wonderful world of opera for audiences and emerging artists, will showcase their first performance on April 4^th and 5^th of Old Man and the Thief. You can find out more about them on their website.

Kate had to take many first steps to make this a reality like, securing a location for the performance, securing the rights to perform the opera, casting the show, setting up rehearsal times, and so much more. She's had to step outside of her comfort zone and do things that she wouldn't normally do (like repeatedly calling people who don't get back with her.) She has been incredibly brave.

Do you have one foot lingering in the air? Are you ready to step down? I can't wait to cheer you on!

If you have a Facebook account, go give Kate some love and like Gateway Opera's page. Don't be shy. All artists need oodles of encouragement. It's a rough biz we're in.

I'll be there on April 4^th to cheer her on. I would love to see you (or meet you) there.