"Starting Now."

Wednesday, May 27, 2009
5:28 pm I'm BACK.

I’m starting now.

The title of my new blog, and this new chapter of my life, was inspired by an Ingrid Michaelson song. Ally played it on the way home from The Farm this past Sunday, and as I listened, I couldn’t help but think that our ‘real lives’were starting now. I started thinking about what that meant.

There are so many things in my life that I put off. As a writer, I’m a procrastinator by nature. And that tends to work for me in my writing (I wrote the COM commencement speech the night before it was due), but it’s not good when I’m putting off things in my life. Whether it’s little (“Starting next week I’m going to go to the gym EVERY DAY!”) or big (“Once I have a job I’ll start feeling good about myself again.”), I do it. I don’t know why I always wait to make things better.

So, starting now, I’m not going to wait. Starting now, when I want to make a change, I’m just going to do it. Last night, my parents convinced me the to-do list I had created for myself was making me crazy, so I got rid of it. And I can’t remember the last time I slept so well.

I think the idea of “starting now” goes hand in hand with demanding more from the universe. You can’t wait for things to get better. You have to go out and make them better. It’s all very “Live the life you have imagined” and whatnot…

Whenever I think of “starting now,” I picture a group of kids I used to babysit for. I would always try to trick them into playing “The Quiet Game,” the object of which is to see who can stay quiet the longest.

“This is going to be so much fun! Are you guys ready?” I’d say in a fake, overly excited voice.

The kids’ eyes would get really wide, and they’d start to squirm around, hardly able to contain themselves.

“Ooookay! Everybody be quiet! Startiiiiiiiiiiing…”

(I’d draw it out just to add to the excitement.)

“NOW.”

And everyone would burst out laughing.

Love,
Tara

Listening to: "Starting Now" by Ingrid Michaelson