Finding Purpose

When I was a child, I dreamed of being a writer, lawyer, and a reporter. I started writing stories when I was seven years old. I had a knack for storytelling;I was asked to write a speech for my 5th grade graduation and I won an award for my D.A.R.E essay (also in the 5th grade). I slowed down a bit on my writing in middle school, but picked it up in high school. I excelled in my English classes, especially when it came to creating stories. I was still interested in being a reporter, so it seemed like a natural progression that I would write for my high school newspaper, become co-editor and carry my love for writing and storytelling into college.

By the time I got to college, I had not given another thought to becoming a lawyer, but becoming a writer and a reporter were still pretty high on my list. I wrote a lot in college. I wrote the required research papers and essays and I wrote stories too. I wrote a couple of articles for my journalism classes and I believe one of my articles was published, but truth be told, my heart wasn't in it.

I listened to others when they said that becoming an author wouldn't pay the bills. I set aside my dreams of being writing books for a living and focused on being a reporter instead. It was still a career in writing after all and that was good enough.

Fast forward ten years: I have graduated college, wrote for a local paper for two years and then became a teacher. I still write as a teacher, but it is not what I thought I would be writing (ex.lesson plans, tests, quizzes, writing prompts,projects, etc) nor is it the profession I'd ever given serious thought to pursuing. Interestingly though, when I was in college (perhaps my junior year) I had written a letter to myself asking my future self what career path I would follow and teaching was one of the careers I had listed.

Nevertheless, as I look back on the decisions I've made, I've deferred my dream of becoming a writer. There's no getting around that. So now what? What happens to a dream deferred? What has happened to my dream, my love for writing and telling stories?

I love writing too much to ever be completely done with it. I have several stories that are in various stages of completion; they are the glimmers of hope that keep me inspired to write. No matter what is going on in my life, I always go back to writing. Writing gives me peace, and an escape from my regular life. Lately, my desire to write is stronger than it has ever been and I want to capitalize on that.

I hope to use this blog as a way of reconnecting with my writing and connecting to others who write. How far can this love for words take me?