I talk a lot about "showing up whole", being willing to step out from behind the curtains and be your true self. A gorgeous friend of mine and I were talking recently about the challenge of finding space to pursue the things that make you whole, especially when they don't fit with the numerous other roles you seem to have to divide yourself up to play.

Well what if it is not dividing and juggling that is required but identifying those activities that really float your boat and then identifying how you can better integrate them into your multiple roles.

Let me share a worked example.

1. I enjoy writing

2. I want to support arts and cultural activity in my local community

3. My work involves maintaining an interesting and thought provoking blog.

So, when the local ABC Open called for submissions to their Open Story project recently, rather than thinking "one day I would like to do that" I took the bull by the horns and attended the workshop. In order to support the arts in my community I did what I could to promote the workshop to others, particularly those who I didn't think would hear about it otherwise but who would be interested. I also agreed to be interviewed for the local paper to further spread the word, and the story made a beautiful front page article highlighting the arts in our community. And now, I am using the material I wrote as the content for my blog post.

The alternate scenario could have been that I thought "one day I would like to do that but I can't now" and then spent the day of the workshop begrudgingly selling raffle tickets for the local arts council fundraiser, spent another day depressed by the article on the front page of the local newspaper printed because the Editor couldn't find an alternative for the week and then another day thinking of a topic and writing my blog!

What activities could you modify to better capture your "one day" list?

I hope you enjoy my short story. It is unedited and slightly incomplete but does that matter? I think the thing that counts is that I am ticking things off my "one day" list!

Of Earth and Sky

A flash of an enlarged angels wing against a cobalt blue sky

A graphic image of a mangled car wreck, with a mother and daughter trapped by a fallen tree

A male dancer, effortlessly moving across the stage with a man perched on his shoulder, balanced, safe and secure

The charred remains of a car, burnt and desolate in its barren landscape

It is just a thundery hailstorm, driving home on a road I have driven countless times. But the fear is intense, flashing into my mind like the evocative imagery of the Bangarra Dance performance I had just left.

Mum feels it too. Sitting as my passenger, feeling helpless as the sky flashes with a bolt of lightening so close it feels like we have created it.

The image it reveals is like a flash of horror from the nightly news. Imagined scenarios of death and destruction, leap into my mind.

Mum and I had shared this protective fear between us before, many times.

The birth of my twins. Mum held my hand, knowing that I am strong and capable but wanting to protect me from the horrors the media assured her would befall me.

It is the same here. A maternal knowing that I will be ok, coupled with the dreadful fear that I may not.

It would appear that it is in moments of extreme fear that we most strongly feel intense love.