I just completed a wonderful beach vacation where I was fortunate enough to go scuba diving with my husband, my best friend and her husband in gorgeous Caribbean waters. Unlike my mermaid friend who honestly is in, on, under, through or around water pretty much 100% of the time, scuba diving does not come naturally to me. Even though I am a certified diver, every time I go diving, I get into an anxious state: Will the seas be rough? Will I get seasick? Do I remember how to dive? Will there be sharks? Anything else scary? Will there be a strong current?

We get up early on dive days, and I make sure to eat a big breakfast to assuage any seasickness, I lather on all that sunscreen. Oh, and I’m a morning pooper, so got to do that as well. And I’m a nervous pooper, so there are many bathroom visits before rushing out the door. I don’t move fast in the morning either, so it’s all a bit unnerving for me.

But I do dive ... I make myself get to the back of the boat, don all that ridiculous gear, breathe in, breathe out, take the step into the water – SPLASH!  -- and then … it is lovely, serene, colorful, fascinating, beautiful.  

The thing about scuba diving is that it really forces you to be “in the now”, in the moment. All the troubles and worries of the day, of life, necessarily are pushed aside because all your attention is on breathing, watching, being vigilant on your air consumption, your dive buddy, your depth. Oh, and sharks. It was nice to be down there, away from my worrying and fussing about the how-to’s of publishing, my self doubts and all that crap.

Coming up from deep blue, watching my bubbles rise above me, it occurred to me that this book project I’m working on is much like my diving expeditions. It is unnerving, going off into new territory. It is scary, not knowing exactly what lies beneath the surface of this whole endeavor. And it’s a bit nauseating. Will I be ridiculed? Humiliated? Embarrassed? Will the seas of social media be rough? Will there be sharks out there?

Maybe ...

My hope is that instead, I will find all sorts of new experiences through this process: connect with other colorful writers, relate with lovely readers, and get beautifully inspired. So, I’m fighting through the nausea, looking forward to an upcoming meeting with my editor (keep breathing, keep breathing) and another meeting with a graphic artist to talk about cover designs. Eeep! The biggest shark in the water that worries me is the – gulp – “author photo shoot.” God help me, I am a spaz at getting my picture taken. If I can just stop chatting with the photographer and hold a pose for a second, we might get a decent shot.

Sigh ... The only way forward is through. Right?

Breathe in, breathe out, take the plunge ... SPLASH!

I’ll keep you posted on how it goes!

Thanks for reading my stuff!

Love,

Mary