Expansion and expression

It's been a good weekend, but I'm feeling exhausted both physically and emotionally.  Some of it's a shortage of sleep and the fatigue after a long evening of revelry yesterday after my friend Kris's wedding.  And some of it's the emotional work of reflection and connection-making that's been occupying me so much lately.  I'm not really eager to start a work week with such thin resources and a persistent need for rest, but my spirit is feeling hopeful.  Because I feel like I'm evolving, like I've become more expansive and less limited inside, and I'm excited by the new possibilities I'm sensing as I experience a new range of emotion and expression.  I was describing to my friend Kelly today at breakfast that I have been finding myself talking to people lately, and while I'm talking, I'm feeling sort of amazed that what I'm saying is articulating so well what I'm feeling.  It's like I'm hearing myself and thinking, "yeah, that's it!"  For a long time I feel I've been drawn to other people who articulate emotion and experience really well, especially to Ani DiFranco, whose music is really emotionally eloquent, both lyrically and in what's conveyed through her guitar playing.  There's been a longing inside me to be able to express things so well, and I'm in the process of learning to listen and hear myself, as well as listen and understand others better.  It's something that excites me, makes me feel somehow stronger and more capable of facing whatever unknown challenges lie ahead.  And it makes me feel more confident in my relationships, because there's more fluidity of what's flowing in and out of me.