# Getting Started: A Single Step into the Light

## The Stillness of Not Yet

We all know that quiet moment before beginning. It's the empty page staring back, the unworn path through tall grass, the breath held before a door creaks open. On this first day of 2026, I sit with my own blank slate—a new year, a fresh notebook. The weight isn't in the doing, but in the pause. That space invites doubt: What if it's not enough? Yet it's also where possibility hides, patient and unassuming.

## One Line, Then Another

Getting started isn't a leap; it's a line. In Markdown, a single # turns chaos into structure. In life, it's tying your shoes for a walk or pouring the first cup of coffee. I remember a winter morning years ago, when I finally sketched the outline of a long-dreamed project. No grand plan, just shapes on paper. Momentum followed, quiet as snow falling. Start small, and the rest unfolds—not with force, but with the gentle pull of motion.

## What Grows from the Ground Up

Beginnings plant roots. That sketch became a book; the walk, a habit. Here's what I've learned from countless starts:

- Pause to notice the fear, then step anyway.
- Expect mess; polish comes later.
- Trust the unfolding—one day reveals the next.

In a world rushing toward finishes, getting started is the true art. It whispers that every sturdy tree was once a seed pushed through soil.

*Today, in 2026, your next line waits.*