Today marks the day that the journey of Navig8ing Her begins! It has been a long time coming, which is likely what most say when they have been letting time slip away with too many unmarked items on their bucket list. I have loved to write since I was young, yet never gave it the credit it deserved until about a year ago.

It was March last year that I got the annual announcement for a Writer’s Workshop. Mind you, this same announcement had come in the mail for the previous two years. Every year I picked it up and thought about going and every year I allowed fear and a lack of confidence to keep me from going. I doubted what purpose I would have to spend money to sit in a workshop when I wasn’t a writer. That would be absurd, right? Well, for two years I allowed myself to think it was, until last year. It was different last year; I was different. I got the announcement, held it in my hands, smiled, and this time asked myself, “Why not?” In true form, my husband encouraged me to go knowing I had wanted to for a long time. I attended the workshop and felt alive! You know that exhilarating feeling when you do something new and you’re scared, but you do it anyway? Welcome to my day at the Writer’s Workshop. I was nervous, excited, invigorated, and inspired. I met some amazing women whose book ideas were brilliant; I have no doubt they will be published someday. I got to explore my own ideas through writing prompts and learned from novice and seasoned authors alike. I felt at home in a way that was unexpected. Perhaps that had more to do with connecting to what I truly wanted instead of getting lost in the fear. For me, that workshop was the beginning.

A year ago I started to write. After the loss of another dear cancer patient, who was far too young, I reached a low point and writing was my release. I kept little journals tucked in my purse and would write my thoughts down while still in the parking lot both before and after work. I kept a journal next to my bed to capture those fleeting stories, thoughts, and ideas floating around in my head. Once I started writing them down, they seemed to multiply and for a time, it was hard to stop. It was like opening a part of me I had frankly been ignoring for too long. I shared with a few close people in my life that I was writing and happily talked about finally attending that workshop. By sharing that news and jumping over the hurdle of vulnerability, it made it “real.” I had some typical “imposter syndrome” for quite awhile not feeling like I was a “writer” per se, rather just me who likes to write. And that’s perfectly OK. I was met with immense support and the whisperings of, “You should write a blog.” Ironically, I have always wanted to write a book, (and have since started ideas on that too…I am scoring at this bucket list thing) yet at that time hadn’t thought about a blog. So, many notes later, lists of blog ideas, writing webinars, partially written material, a half-read book on all things blogging, and a year later, here I am; ready to be perfectly imperfect, learn as I go, and enjoy the journey.

The irony of my blogging journey starting today is that when I opened one of those journals, the first entry was from this day exactly one year ago! To add to the obvious calling, May 5th marks two important milestones in my life: 1) nine years since finishing nursing school, and 2) six years of working as an oncology nurse navigator. I suppose with that last fact, you are picking up on the intended irony of the blog name Navig8ing Her! (Come on, puns are so fun!) For me it represents our universal need to explore, learn, lead, and follow through all parts of life; sometimes we are the Navig8or and sometimes we are the Navi8ed! To add the fluffy icing on the cupcake, I was also inspired by reading a blog post from a dear friend who had the calling to start her new blog. I believe in signs and I believe there is no time like now. There is a lot to this thing we call life, so here goes nothing. Welcome to Navig8ing Her!