When my intuition was wrong
Plus, reflections on hosting my first storytelling open mic in Laguna Beach
On Thursday, I hosted a storytelling open mic in Laguna Beach. I kicked off the evening reading an excerpt from my novel, Sister Earth, my co-organizers read personal essays, and attendees dropped their names in a hat for a chance read a mix of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The selections were entertaining, poignant, and real.
My biggest concern when we began planning this event was that people wouldn’t come.
In reality, the event sold out weeks early. We have a waiting list of people who wanted to come and couldn’t get tickets, and want to be notified about the next one.
I’ve never had something come together so smoothly that it almost felt like the event planned itself.
Though the event blossomed from an email sent in early January, it really began a year ago when I was hosting a chapter of Shut Up & Write, and some attendees expressed interest in performing their work. In December, I met someone who runs an event space and set up a lunch with her. The morning of the lunch, I ran into her at a coffee shop. That same day, I ran into one of the co-organizers at the beach.
The event itself is a perfect expression of my intentions for the year: creating local community, expressing beauty through art, and pushing my edge with in-person public speaking.
It’s an example of how easily life can unfold when you’re in flow and following intuition, but intuition hasn’t always worked that way for me.
It’s been messy.
Also in January, I followed an intuitive nudge that has plopped me into a menagerie of all my worst fears. Here’s that story…