Behind the Book-Waiting for Scotland
And it’s the one that sparked the journey of writing Waiting for Scotland. This poem is the very first in the entire collection, and it really sets the tone.
She asked me—
What if you wrote without apology,
without shame?
Remove the filters—
what would you say?
So, I did,
and this is what I said.
—therapist/method
It’s the linchpin that truly got me started writing this book. And this collection is not just one story, but many. It’s about me. The pandemic. My past. My future. It’s about life as it is, not what we want it to be.
I remember just how much it hit me when my therapist called me out. She said point blank: “there is so much you don’t say that is not only important for others to hear, but it’s also killing you. Your words have life to give.”
I paused, letting the words etch themselves into my mind. Then she followed up.
“Sam, what if you stopped being ashamed of YOUR story?”So often, I think we run and hide from speaking the truth about our lives. Out of fear of judgement or getting it wrong. I know that was true for me. The great turn in my own healing journey began when I gathered up the courage to say what I locked deep inside my heart.
That conversation was so key to my journey. Waiting for Scotland started as a private exercise in writing and navigating hurt. But the more I wrote, and what little I shared within my inner circle, the more it became clear: this is more than for me.
Waiting for Scotland was born out of hard soul work. It is the love letter to my hurting self and to those who struggle in silence. It is me reaching out to you, to hold your hand, and tell you that you’re not alone. That others don’t have to fully understand what you’re going through to make it valid.
So, I want to ask you, friend: what would you say if you removed the filter of fear?What is the truth in your heart that needs to come into the light? What words are blocking you from stepping into greater fullness and healing?
These are questions for you to answer for yourself. You owe no one your story. But you owe it to yourself to be honest. That’s where the journey begins.
Take a moment and focus on questions you need to ask yourself. And then, I challenge you to answer them. Truthfully. Without pretense or self defense. It’s just you and your self.
Healing begins when we can first be honest with ourselves.
P.S. I really love this song, especially the line “so I tried/ every night/ to sit with sorrow/ and eventually,/ it set me free.” If Waiting for Scotland had a soundtrack, this one would be on it.
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