This is my first post of my first blog. For many, this may not seem like much to blog about, but for me—and maybe I'm not alone here—writing something where someone may actually read it is akin to public speaking. It's reputed to be worse than a fear of death.

It has been a long road to get even here. I started by re-learning cursive writing from a grade-two school book nearly ten years ago, then working through the basic rules of punctuation and grammar, and then through the process of unlearning the basic rules of punctuation and grammar. And then there were months of daily free-writes: writing for no-one and nothing, writing that was not meant to be read, not even by me.

Recently I began reading some of that writing to a small group of odd fellows in the "Snug Room" of a nearby tavern. It went well. I read and heard others. Their comments of my work were encouraging. Mine of theirs, appreciated. And then, this Christmas, under the tree, written in pencil-crayon, were these words:

You will start a blog within 3 weeks from today. On this blog you will post min. 2 texts per month for 6 months. Love Kristina

Well, what was I supposed to do? There were no more excuses. I have used every one. And so here I sit, on the evening three weeks to the day from receiving my 'gift', writing to fulfil my mitzvah.

This is a small step, another in a long journey of small steps. This blog is known to no one. I will not spread it round my friends and no one will stumble upon it. It remains, for now, like a letter tucked under a stone—one letter under one stone among a field of  millions.

But this is how things begin.
All things begin in darkness.