Why Did I Start This? This week my niece began first grade. I met her at the school to see her before she headed into the building. She has been home schooled up until this point so I was both nervous and excited for her to begin. She had all the school supplies she needed. And in many ways she has always been wise beyond her years, so she was prepared. But I could see the nerves written all over her face. The fear of the unknown and new beginnings. But after a few photos with the obligatory first day of school sign she strutted into that building to join the rest of her class.The feeling she had is so familiar and universal. I remember that anxious anticipation on the first day of school. The feeling that you didn’t have enough courage to see it through, regardless of what you truly possessed.I don’t know why, but the idea of starting this blog gave me that level of anxiety. Perhaps it was the shy kid in me that was bashful talking about myself or maybe my OCD when it comes to accurately portraying myself to others? Maybe it's both of those things.I wasn’t always the confident person my friends know me as. Truthfully I have just mastered the art of wit and humor to mask the insecure days. I have always had an old soul and wisdom well beyond my years. I was a quiet kid who spent most of her days observing people and evaluating them. You know, that friend you have that you can't take anywhere or introduce to anyone because whatever she's thinking is permanently written on her face? Yup, that's me. Good, bad or ugly at least I'm honest... right? As a child I spent most of my time plotting how to infiltrate the adult table instead of playing with the kids my age. If you follow astrology, I am a true Libra. I am ruled by harmony, love beautiful things (which includes but is not limited to anything cheetah print, glitter/sequins, or is a shoe (I am from Jersey after all), can be indecisive at times, and quality overrules quantity. Of course in my case I have to try something to know if its quality which means I am a product junkie with a shopping issue. When placed in a situation I weigh both sides, do all my research, and draw the safe conclusion. It has kept me to stay out of too much trouble but held me back from any real risk. A blessing and a curse. I have always loved writing. You couldn't tell me I wasn't going to be Carrie Bradshaw. But the way life is set up, I took a different career path (still in the entertainment industry) and put my dream of being a critic and having my own column to the side. You could say I made the safe choice at the time. Your true passions never die and as much as you try to fight it, you will only regret when you don't give it a shot. So this is it. This is my column. And the best part is I don't need my editor's approval for this masses to read it. Which is probably better anyway because I'm too much of a control freak to let anyone else have too much say.I spoke to my niece's parents later in the day to see how her day went. They said she loved it and couldn't wait to do it all over again the next day. She jumped in. And after the initial shock, she had a blast. It was that simple. Somewhere along the way we as adults forget to simplify things, and just do it. So these are my gems. My thoughts and ideas. And there is no better feeling than to write them on a first page of a fresh notebook. The nerd in me used to love that feeling because I LIVED for school supply shopping. So what are you fearful of? What leap are you willing to take? Leave it in the comments! PHOTO CRED: www.mylography.com DiaryErica ButlerSeptember 21, 2017Diary2 Comments 0 Likes