Here’s the saying:

If a tree falls in the woods … and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

It’s one of those silly questions that has a simple answer (Yes), a few thoughtful answers (Are you sure? Does it matter?), and your deep rabbit-hole answers by your overweight cousin Bob who eats all the dark meat at Thanksgiving. (That’s a stupid question. Sound is nothing more than vibrating air.  The differential in pressure waves has no meaning unless it is perceived by an observer. Is sound different than noise? Can I consider your question noise?)

Sigh. Bob.

As I begin in this endeavor, to share my thoughts with the world at large, making my own noise within the vast forest of humanity, I find myself pondering this question. If I create a website, if I begin to add words to said website, if I crash my thoughts onto this page, will I make a sound?

Distilled to its roots, I have two paths forward.

The first, otherwise known as the right path to this fork of choice. I let my fears hold me back from beginning. I worry that I’ll put forth a great effort to create something unique, something for me, and no one will care. I add words to this website regularly, I promote myself on social media and other places, tell my friends and family and strangers about a blog I started. About the books I have written and have yet to write. I remain diligent in adding content, do all the right things and… it won’t matter. People will come sporadically or not at all. Even worse, people won’t even know I’m out here writing. I’ll be one loud tree that no one can hear! So… why even start?

Then there is the second path, the option on the left. I fall headfirst into this splintery mess of prose and opinion and try! Outcomes be damned! Trying is what matters! I’m a massive tree! Crash, smash, crack, and groan!

All the good tree noises!

Wait… why did I pick a tree for my analogy? They don’t make enough fun sounds.

ROAR! Dragon roar!

There. That’s better.

In this life… we have the journey, and we have the destination. Where we want to be in the future and the steps we believe we need to take to reach that new, more wonderful place. Others have gone before us; we can see how they planted their feet. We try to do the same. However, these stepping stones like to shift and wiggle under our feet. Maybe the river has changed, or our stones are different from theirs. Our skills and weight hit the stones differently, knocks us off our feet and sweep us away, or propels us forward. The weather is different too! Headwinds! Tailwinds. Rain and sleet and hurricanes. Shutter. Hurricanes. Clear skies. There isn’t only one path. We can make our own path. Or sometimes… there is only one. A narrow passage between the cliff face and the waterfall thundering in our ears.

Life’s confusing like that. There are so many unanswered questions. Will moving forward put me at a dead end? Will my efforts be in vain after a few years, after I see that there is no way out from the place I’ve hopped into? Will I even like where I find myself once I get there? Worries and fears and not wanting to get a little wet keeps many of us from moving at all.

Splash!

I want to publish a book. That has been a goal of mine for years. Since childhood. I love writing, love the idea of impacting others lives for the better with something good. Something memorable. Something pure. Something that makes you feel. It’s not about the name or the notoriety for me. It’s not about money. Though all of those things are good. It’s about sharing. Bringing joy. Giving.

To this end, I have written a lot. Written to myself, written to others. Written e-mail (e-mails!) and presentations and letters and texts. I have crafted three manuscripts (so far!) and want to see them in your hands. It’s that next leap that has me confounded. How do I get my bundle of words out into the world? How do I build hype and market my stories so that people care, or at the very least learn they exist? In our age or social media and followers, influencers and data, it feels like you’re not anyone until you’re someone. And you can’t become someone without already being someone. Many try, only a few reach the top. Additionally, publishing is an extremely biased and risky business. A lot of nos. A lot! And for good reason. You need to be known to sell. You need to be someone before you can become someone. But all it takes is for one person to eventually believe in me. I don’t have to write good, or coherently, or even have an idea of an idea that’s unique. Believe me, I’ve read some really bad published books. As long as someone with the right pull believes in me, I’m in.

That’s life. Relationships. People who know people who know people make things happen. Politics! I’m not upset at the order of humanity. I understand the game and want to find my next step forward. To do that, I need to find that right person who will believe in my work and take a chance on me. Maybe you’re reading this blog now. Say hi!

Or… or I could self-publish. Companies have created that lovely frictionless avenue. Words into print. Able to be bought, able to be sold. But that puts me back in the woods. A nobody trying to become a somebody.

If I self-publish and no one knows, does it matter?

Thoughts. That’s all these are. Thoughts. This is simply where I’m at today. In the middle of my journey. Right in the center of the creek, hopping on stones. Splashing around! So! I’ve decided to make a website. I’ve decided to begin a blog. I’ll make as much noise as I can and see if anyone notices. If I’m going to write, why not write into the abyss of the internet instead of the abyss of my hard drive or the abyss of my leather-bound journal? Let’s create a digital footprint. Let’s begin to market myself. Make a name for myself. However small. Let’s try.

You, my reader. I don’t know where you are today. What you’re dealing with or what you’re going through. I can’t begin to imagine what random happenstances have led you to this page and this blog and to be reading my words. However, I thank you for your time. I thank you for letting me speak a little into your life, letting me share my thoughts and my concerns with you. You know what? We’re in this together. Remember this. Even if we never meet, you’re not alone. Let’s keep trying. Separate. Together. Okay? Life might come about and knock us down. Let’s keep going! My journey, your journey might be longer than we both think. We might find a shortcut… more than likely, we’ll need to put in the work. The hard work. The quiet work done at night or in the peaceful hours of the early morning. Are you a morning person? I am. Mornings are the best. Every morning let’s keep charging ahead despite everything keeping us back. Our fears, our critics, our mistakes.

We will keep trying.

Tree roar!