Following My Bliss . . .

I have been reading about Blissdom, the blogging conference, on many of your blogs and posts.  It is a conference for bloggers  on February 5-7 in Nashville, TN.  Like any other conference, Blissdom has speakers and workshops, but unlike other conferences, these conferences and workshops center around blogging and writing and the like.  Cool, huh?  

I think so.

And the name, Blissdom, is supposed to be an encouragement to follow your own bliss, an idea that I agree with wholeheartedly.  I absolutely think that a person should do what makes his or her heart happy.  But (And isn't there always a but?), here's my dilemma.

I love to blog.  I love to write and to connect to all of you out there in bloggy world.  I do believe that this writing thing IS my bliss to follow.

But . . . 

How do you follow your bliss when your bliss is not in your budget?

Yes, as much as I would like to attend Blissdom,  I really can't justify spending money for the conference, hotel, travel, and food and entertainment.  It could (and probably would) be well over $500 dollars.

Eek!

In our family budget, five hundred dollars is a lot!  It is the equivalent of a month's worth of groceries or a car payment and insurance payment put together.

A lot.

And that is what makes it so hard for me.  I wish I could say that I had a strong faith and that I knew that God would provide for me if I decided to go for my bliss, but I can't.  I struggle with my faith daily.  My relationship with God is something that I am constantly working on.  It is a journey for me.  

And on the map of my long journey, I am not yet at the exit that says, "Close your eyes and leap."  Instead, I am stuck in a traffic jam in Doubtsville.

Truthfully, if it comes down to choosing a weekend to explore my writing and blogging OR groceries for my family, I will pick feeding my family every time. 

But,  I wish I had the faith to just close my eyes, and take that leap.

Thanks for letting me vent.