I know, I know…I’m a little late on the blogging revolution. It has been something I have been meaning to do for literally years, but apparently I needed just the right inspiration. That inspiration turned out to be all of you. Let me explain…
In May I finished my second year of graduate school in New York and took off for the summer, this time to Portland, OR, where my fiancée Ty is doing a show this summer. It’s been very difficult finding a job here and with Ty in rehearsals all day, I have been spending a lot of time alone in coffee shops surfing the internet for jobs. It’s been a hard transition for me going from the all out sprint that is graduate school, to having no real structure at all, and 
all this alone time and down time really had me feeling…well…lonely.
On a particularly intense day of feeling very alone in my current life situation, I got an email from my friend Courtney letting me know about her new website: http://courtneyseiberling.wordpress.com (side note: if you check out her website you will see that I have brazenly used the same wordpress template as her. In my defense, WordPress has few good template options and Courtney has very good taste:)! Having nothing but time on my hands, I started to catch up on all her, and her best friend Stacey’s, beautifully written blog entries. Reading Courtney’s posts allowed me an insight into her life, which made me feel apart of it, and for the first time in weeks, I didn’t feel so lonely.
For the past few years I have been longing for a stronger sense of community, but I felt that my “wandering gypsy lust” that keeps me living out of boxes and hopping around the country would make that impossible. Courtney’s blog proved me wrong. By reading it I felt closer to her, and the tears of sadness I had been crying all day turned to tears of relief, because I was reminded of what I already knew somewhere deep inside: we are all connected, and I am never truly alone. Courtney’s thoughtful, insightful posts were exactly the reminder I needed that no matter how far away I live from those who matter to me, I always have a community.
Over the course of my life I have been lucky enough to form friendships with amazingly talented and supportive women who never cease to inspire and amaze me with the paths that they follow. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about one of you and get a warm feeling in my heart, and, as I told my friend Erin recently, I take for granted that you all know how much you and your friendships have meant to me, and how close I hold you all to my heart. No more! This blog is my way of reaching out to, and hopefully reconnecting with you all. And also, connecting you with each other in some small way, or big way! You are all amazing and you should all know each other!
If you are reading this blog, it is because you have made an impact on my life and I want to share the experiences I have along my path with you, in the hopes that you will feel more connected to me, to my life and hopefully you will continue to share your life’s experiences with me.
I love you all, I hold you all close to my heart, and hopefully now you will be reminded of it on a more regular basis.
All my love,
shelley
I love you…to pieces. And I can’t wait to follow this and indeed feel more connected…TO YOU! Great idea. And yes, it does help. I’m sorry to hear you are feeling a bit lonely. I want to come visit you in Portland somehow this summer. I’m gonna call you soon.
Yes! Please come visit me in Portland somehow this summer. Thanks for being such a wonderful muse of inspiration, I couldn’t think of a better one. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your friendship…I’m a little ashamed out how out of touch I have been and I would love to talk to you soon.
And please do a recap of your year at school! I wanna know all about what you performed and learned and workshopped…and…and…
Great suggestion! Will do, but I have a feeling recapping my 2nd year of grad school will be a little like giving birth… it may take a while:)
Oh dearest, thank you, thank you! I feel very honored. This is all very beautiful and very true. I must say that I too have felt lonely at times, but reading this has reminded me of those emotions that we unconsciously share with those who are closest to us. And the warm and incredible woman who you are. I can only imagine the pressure of trying to find a job while wondering what to do with your days, although I’m sure things will work out.
I also like how you were able to incorporate your experience as a blog reader into your experience as a writer.
Look forward to reading more, and I think that Courtney’s suggestion is certainly a good one.
Oh, I’m so glad you read it Sara. I’m so honored to have you in my life. I remember the first night we all really hung out…I don’t think I stopped talking to Ty about how much I liked you until he agreed with me, again, and asked me to stop. And I also made Ty promise to tell Steve how special you were, (like he needed me to tell him that:)! I’m so happy that you two have found each other, and that Ty and I get to have the both of you in our lives.
Oh, Shelley, how i love you! You make-a me cry! Maybe it is because of the raging pg hormones, but whatever! i miss seeing you and being in your energy. But like i said the other day, we are together in space, always.
always. My conversation with you the other day was another inspiration for this blog. I can’t wait to see you this summer! Soon….
Yes! and Yes.
So very good to see you in Portland. And wonderful to be ‘seeing’ you here. This makes me want to sit down and write to all my women. Here I go…
Much love. See you again so soon,
M.
I miss you. Keep writing so that I can keep tabs on your gypsy wanderlustful life. xoxoxo