Today I am crossing the threshold of one imperative aspect of my life, the creative writing aspect. Every time I envision the threshold of any situation, I am reminded of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “Christabel” and the strength and fear that comes with allowing any situation–and person–into your personal threshold:

They crossed the moat, and Christabel
 took the key that fitted well; 
A little door she opened straight, 
All in the middle of the gate; 
The gate that was ironed within and without, 
Where an army in battle array had marched out. 
The lady sank, belike through pain, 
And Christabel with might and main
 Lifted her up, a weary weight, 
Over the threshold of the gate: 
Then the lady rose again, 
And moved, as she were not in pain.

Evil cannot enter your household, life, mind, and soul unless you carry it in. Evil cannot enter your life, unless you invite it in, as Christabel did in this poem. We are, at times, faced with daunting situations that have clear answers before us, but we, or I, can often become hazy and diluted with the many roles we play and we happen to carry “a weary weight/ over the threshold of the gate” causing our own damage. Blog writing can feel heavy (metaphorically speaking) because it is open to the world and it seems many are quick to write negatively when masked behind an electronic device rather than faced in person. Fear may easily inhibit me, but I often refer to this quote:

Consult not your fears, but your hopes and dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you have tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do. — Pope John XXIII

Finally, I have decided to step over this threshold to express myself, write creatively and explore the many aspects that make me a Renaissance Lady. My all time favorite era has got to be the Renaissance era because of the many roles artists such as Leonardo DaVinci played. This was an era where one person would indulge in art, science, literature, writing, architecture, weapons technician, sculpture, and politics, to name a few. One person often wore many hats and completed their job beautifully. I feel we are all Renaissance ladies and gentlemen. This is the main reason I have named my blog this. I am a 31-year-old mother of three, wife, graduate student, writer, and a DIY enthusiast. As many of you know, a stay at home wife, mother, and student entails being an accountant (pay the bills, balance the checkbook), maid (with three kids and a husband, it never ends), professional chef (hey, the kids have labeled me as such; I love to cook and they love to eat), nutritionist (I love fresh organic food), comedian (someones got to be funny), organizer (I love a clean organized house), gardener (who else is going to pull the weeds and rake the leaves, teacher (I have three kids to teach), personal driver (yes, I am a ballet, piano, soccer mom), doctor (because all the bumps need kissing and singing “sana sana colita de rana, si no se te alivia hoy, se te alivia mañana” –in Spanish–and monster zapper (because moms always have to make sure there aren’t any monsters under the bed or in the closets, above the door or under the dresser). Certainly, there are so many of us out there as we wear many hats. I recently resigned my full time job to raise the new addition to our family. I have been at home for a good few months and have been in graduate school–two years–and going strong. I do not claim to be a perfect writer, as I am human and you may find many mistakes. I do not claim to know everything, as the world is my classroom and I will never fully know all that the world has to offer. I do, however, claim to enjoy myself while writing about everything I love. Writing, as a brilliant professor once told me, is a form of escapism, meditation far deeper than yoga and a simple form of pleasure that can clear the chaotic mind.