As we end yet another year and barrel into a new one, this quote by Michelangelo scratches at the back of my chest:
“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
I, like many of you, often feel trapped.
I’ve felt trapped by my job.
By mortgages and bills.
By responsibilities and commitments
I didn’t mean to make.
I’ve spent years trying to figure out how to dig out of the marble.
But lately,
I feel like I finally saw the angel in the marble,
and I carved
until I set her free.
I left my old career to strike out on a new path
I found my voice in my writing and on stage
I lived on the road with my husband…
My life has changed
“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”
The process wasn’t always pretty — moments have been downright ugly. And since I’m still in the middle of
carving
I don’t know whether the final product will be a masterpiece or a mess…
But I see a glimpse emerging of what my life could be…
I’m following the contours, trying not to impose my will on the stone, but letting the stone impose its will on me.
I’ll keep cutting. I hope the marble won’t crack; but if it does, I’ll carve around the break.
“Carving is easy, you just go down to the skin and stop.”
And along the way, I hope to set my life, heart, and spirit free.