A few weeks ago, driving home from work, Andrew Ripp’s song, “Jericho” played on the radio. The chorus, “All my fears, like Jericho’s walls, gotta come down, come down,” instilled bravery within me and when I got home, I walked Titan by myself.
It was about a year ago that Titan, in his determination and haste to meet another dog, dragged me over an ice patch causing me to fall and dislocate my shoulder. This winter I have walked with my husband and Titan, but I would not take him myself with snow on the ground. For those who may not know, I live in Idaho and so up until a couple of weeks ago, it was still pretty chancy if you hit snow or ice while walking the dog.
I’m happy to say our outing went great, without incident, and I felt liberated. Ripp’s song talks about how we build walls around us based on fears and we need love and trust to break free. I trusted myself and Titan and we had a beautiful walk.
I think writing is much the same. We start out with a good idea and with fresh-faced innocence and then we stumble, perhaps the story structure wobbles, and we start doubting ourselves. Someone else questions the plot or a good friend just can’t catch your vision, and we start giving into fear, telling ourselves we’re not good enough writers or the story isn’t good enough and we give up. Or worse yet, we distract ourselves with other things and let the story die a slow death of ignore-amitius.
We love writing. We need to trust ourselves and our talent to get through the hard bits without letting self-doubts stop us in our tracks. As a Christian, I also trust and thank God for the gift and the love.
It’s not easy. I was uneasy the first time I took Titan, which is to say I was more than a little scared. Even today, that fear nudges the back of my brain. I am so glad I push through the fear, because I discovered Titan has remembered all his commands and he is so responsive to me. My fear that he would drag me along or ignore everything I say was completely unfounded. I must say, even if it’s bragging, Titan is a wonderful dog and I’m proud of him.
It is Wonderful Wednesday, so I encourage everyone to share what puts the Wow in your life and help others to find the Wow in their’s.
Enjoy the read,
TC Robinson
Robinson Write Now 