the little blue button.

I have a love/hate relationship with the little blue button on the side of my blog posts.

PUBLISH.

It stares at me as I write, as if it can see into my soul.  And some days it’s really kind to me.  It speaks with love and grace —

Rachel, go for it.  Click me and share your words with the world [er, at least your FB followers].  This post is grand.  People will love it, relate to it and maybe even be inspired by it.

Those are the days I love that little blue button.

Other days it’s out to get me.  It peers into my soul, sees my biggest fears and makes me fear them even more —

Rachel, this is ridiculous.  You really think people will read this?  I mean, you have how many followers [maybe your family]?  People will think you’re really weird and laugh at you.  Or they’ll think you’re irrelevant and unoriginal.  Put this one in the trash.  That’s where it belongs.  You don’t have much to share.

Those are the days I hate that little blue button.

Yet other days the little blue button says nothing.  It’s just there, minding it’s own business, allowing me to decide what to do with it.

Those are the days I remember that I can choose what the little blue button says.  

I remember that I get to choose what I share.  I get to choose to believe that my voice is worthy of being heard and whether my voice has powerful, beautiful things to say.  And I remember that I have power to choose what I do with the little blue button, even on the days it tells me I have nothing to share.

And for that [freedom of choice] I am incredibly grateful.

I know far too many people [like this guy] who have so much to share, yet at some point or another, the little blue button was mean and powerful — so mean and powerful that they forgot they could speak up too.  And so instead of having lovely days or quiet days with their blue button, they only had days of hate with their blue button.  And by golly, does that make me sad.

My hope is that your little blue button, on a blog or elsewhere, says

go ahead, my dear.  This is good stuff – not because you’re going to write or speak it without error or because it’s the most original content I’ve ever heard or seen or because no one will disagree with it – but because it comes from you.  And because you are worthy of being heard. Post it.  Say it.  Sing it. Play it. Write it.  Dance it.  Publish it.