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“I want to write full-time.”
“Oh, how I wish I could write all day long.”
“I’d write more if the day job didn’t get in the way.”
Ever utter these kinds of words? I would wager there are few if any writers out there who haven’t at some point in their life. Some writers are fortunate enough to realize those dreams. Others, not-so-much.
But are we less fortunate?
I had a birthday recently. Over half the student body wished me a happy birthday as they passed me in the halls, saw me in the cafeteria, or in a classroom. As an assistant principal, it meant a lot, because I’m usually viewed as the “bad guy” (it’s an occupational hazard).
Then, I received a letter from an 8th grade girl. The letter wished me well on this day of my birth. But it also said so much more.
The young lady thanked me for being there for her, looking out for her, urging her to strive harder to make the very best life she can muster at this precarious age, and believing in her.
As I read the letter, it reminded me of another one I received several years ago from a troubled young lady at the high school where I began my administrative career. It too spoke of how I was the only person who listened to her, showed that I cared for her by holding her accountable, even though she was making a tough choice to drop out of school. I would later see her in another setting where she beamed of great joy at the telling of how she had gone back to school, received her GED, and had been accepted into a college down south. She was chasing dreams, and she reminded me it was my encouragement that set her on this path.
I often get discouraged at this career we call “writing.” It’s an up and down, roller-coaster, whirlwind kind of life that has its own peaks and valleys to say the least. However, in the midst of crafting a tale about some fictional characters, are we blooming where we are planted to make a difference in the lives of real people?
I hope we are.
As we enter into the season of giving, may He who gave us life everlasting help us bloom into abundant trees bearing good fruit (Colossians 1:9-14).
To see this article on the Seriously Write website,
click on the following link: HERE
