Jen is one of those people who cheers you on in the face of deep adversity and the roller coaster of life. She is the reason a dyslexic, terrified, determined woman unleashed her story. She is magical. As you read her words you feel as though you’re walking hand-in-hand together on the journey. It is as though she is right beside you – laughing, giggling, and playing!
This week I am sharing some words from Jen Violi, who will be with us in Sooke in just three weeks for the Story Watch Writing Retreat on October 17 at the Sooke Harbour House.
love,
Jo
What’s better than taking off your bra?
Here’s a question: what’s better than taking off your bra?
You know, that moment at the end of the day when you walk through the door, slip off your shoes, shake off the emotional detritus you picked up throughout your interactions with the world, drop your shoulders, and unhook that ungodly contraption rigging itself against gravity? The moment you don’t have to hold yourself up, emotionally or physically, for anyone anymore. Feeling the air cool the hot red strap marks on your skin.
Ahhhh.
Okay, it’s actually possible that nothing is better than that moment of taking off your bra. But here’s something that comes pretty darn close: expressing yourself.
Many of us keep silent for long periods of time. Hold our heart-and-blood-and-guts stories in, with the metaphorical equivalents of underwire and elastic, hooks and straps. And often, with good reason.
Maybe staying silent has kept you safe in an unsafe environment. Maybe holding in your story has protected it and you when you’ve been surrounded by naysayers or harsh critics. Maybe staying silent is actually a way to honor a process that belongs just to you, for now, a healing that needs to happen privately, a transformation that must be cocooned until it’s ready to unfurl.
Inevitably though, that time of release will come. Exactly when you’re ready. And as much as it can be terrifying to finally speak your truth or tell your story, it can also be pure bliss.
Jo writes of the freedom (maybe link to that blog post you have about this?) she felt once her beautiful book Frock Off: Living Undisguised was published. She’s not alone.
In every writer I’ve ever mentored or edited a manuscript for, I catch a glimpse of that feeling of liberation. The mile-wide smile, the spring in the step, the song in the voice, the new ease and confidence of having declared in words, in one way or another:
This is who I am. This is what I’ve survived. This is what I know. This is how I love. This is who I choose to be. Without apology or excuse, without guilt or shame, here I am and here is the heart of my matter.
It’s exhilarating to witness this. It’s exhilarating to live this. Each time I write and share something that comes from the heart of my heart, I simultaneously feel that relief and that liberation. Including in sharing this piece I wrote for you.
Maybe it’s not better than taking off my bra, or maybe it is.
But when I arrive at that place of unleashing my story, I remember that it’s a place where comparisons are irrelevant. It’s not about better or worse. It’s about authenticity, an overused word and often underdeveloped muscle, especially when it comes to expressing ourselves. It takes some effort to express authentically, without the filter of expectations and supposed to’s. And it also takes having a safe space, a sanctuary for you and your story.
Which is exactly what you can expect at the Story Watch Writing Retreat at the Sooke Harbour House this October 17.
So. Know that you are welcome. You are worthy. And you are officially invited to join other wise wondrous women around the table for a day of remembering that you are more than capable of authentic expression and creating something beautiful.
Space is limited, so we encourage you to register now and save a spot for you and the story you are ready to unleash.
See you in just a few weeks in Sooke!
xoxo,
Jen
Join us and unleash your story!
Attention Wild Wondrous Women with a Story You Must Tell:
Are you longing for space and time to…
…get up close and personal with your story?
…step away from daily responsibilities and distractions so you can finally watch, listen, write, and reflect?
…be present to the kind of magic that surfaces when someone else takes the helm for a while, so you can actually relax, refuel, and take in the scenery?
How about doing that…
…for a whole luxurious day,
in an exquisitely beautiful ocean-side house,
with a scrumptious lunch provided,
accompanied by a group of other wild, wondrous women tending to their own stories,
this October on the South West Coast of Vancouver Island?
Hey, Was That You Driving?
