Begin

Where to begin. A daunting thought. 

Whether it be a painting, a writing or a new year.

The first pass of paint. The first word. The first step.

How I begin influences where I go.

How I begin influences how I end.

It opens the doors to what might come next and sparks thoughts that might not come otherwise.

Not knowing where to begin mustn’t paralyze me to the point of not beginning at all.

It’s not about procrastination. It’s about consideration. Consideration of the first step.

In my college English class, creative writing papers were to be written within the one hour period. I would often use thirty minutes to write the first line.

It set the stage. 

I pay close attention to the opening scene of a movie, the first paragraph of a book, the first notes of a song, the first sentence of a conversation. 

I love to see how they begin.

Introduction to the unknown. 

One step paves the way for the next.

There are times when I’m choosing between one or more good beginnings. So I choose one and see where the path might lead. I make a move.

Then there are times when I’m choosing between no good beginnings, just a string of mediocre ones. So I choose one and hope that it leads down a path to a good thought that takes me back to the beginning, starting where I never would have otherwise. I make a move.

It’s about beginning. Making a move.

Laying down the first stroke of paint. Writing the first line. Without that, there will be no path at all.

Once I begin, I must end. 

And I cannot end what I do not begin.