Fire in My Belly

My belly has a fire. It's small, but it is building. It creeps up through my ribs and dares to grace my heart. It grows. With each word I type, with each phrase that passes my lips, I fan the flame. This blaze will not be tamed. It longs to burst forth and meet the world!

There is however, one enemy of the fire. It threatens to douse the light and silence me. It fills my ears with doubt and thoughts of failure. It is fear.

Everyday I meet with fear. And everyday I sit with it. I stare this fear deep in its own eyes and I dare it to defy me. Some days it wins and I retreat. I fold in on myself and walk away. Other days I roar. I laugh in its face and continue on my merry way without so much as a backward glance. My mission is to fill my life with more days like the latter and to move evermore from fear to love.

Through the fear I learn. Through the fear I grow. I sit in silence and greet each day anew. What is being brought to me today? Will Love win out yet again or will it be another notch in the belt of Fear? And what I know for sure is that underneath that which frightens us, is the potential for unyielding, compassionate love. Underneath the notions of failure and humiliation are the memories of triumph and grace. When I can align myself with this remembrance, I can move through the fear and tend to the fire in my belly. My heart is open. My pen is ready. There is no stopping me. I will be heard.