Pursue your passions.
A while back I blogged about how being in menopause could be a time for reflection about your life, and a time where you begin to try or learn new things. Without kids at home, schedules to rule you, and anything other than your own psyche to contend with, you could make this time all about you and your dreams. No one will be mad at you for being selfish. No one.
Well, I took my own advice. Shocking, isn't it?
For all of my life I have had a passion for writing. Truly, a passion. I've been an avid reader since I first learned my alphabet. By the time I was nine I'd read all the children's books in my local library and had graduated to the young adult series. At that time, Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon and the Hardy Boys were the only real series books available. Goosebumps and The Babysitter's Club hadn't been written yet.
I started writing my own stories when I was in second grade, and actually won a prize in third grade for a story I did about a clown. During Highschool and college I always took creative writing courses and actually got pretty decent grades on things I handed in for review. During my first nursing job, I got published three times in Nursing magazines for articles I'd written on patient care. When my daughter was born and I took an extended leave ( 8 years!) from work, I supplemented my income with non-fiction articles in local newspapers and magazines from topics which included child care to how to save money in a household budget.
But I always drifted back to fiction writing. I was lucky to get several short stories published in various magazines during this time, plus I won a few nice honorable mentions in local and national writing contests. I even had a piece about motherhood published in one of the Chicken Soup Books. That was a real ego booster. Two children's books for a small press didn't hurt either.
Life intervened though, and I had to go back to work full time, putting my writing life on the back burner.
But the dream was always inside me, lying dormant, waiting for some kind of rebirth.
Last year my job was downsized and my hours were cut. Drastically. At the same time, I entered FBM ((Full blown menopause). My daughter was off on her own, forging her own life, my husband was still working full time, the old cat had died after 18 years of a good life, and I was suddenly left with gobs of time on my hands. I figured I could either mope around the house bemoaning my state, join a gym, eat, or start writing again.
Well, that decision was an easy one. I bought my first laptop, had my tech savvy daughter teach me the ins and outs of the word processing program, and I went to town. All the characters that had been looming around in my brain for the past 23 years started popping out in full force. Plot lines that I'd run for years mated with them and by december I had four new "novels" done. One of them I actually wrote during NANOWRIMO, in november. I entered a few contests, came in first place in two, third in another, and was able to secure a literary agent. Plus, I started this blog.
My fairy tale hasn't ended yet. I have a few publishing prospects on the line, but the truth is this: even if I never get a publishing contract, never have one of my books go to print, I will still be happy and fulfilled because I am back doing the thing that gives me the most joy and pleasure in life. I look forward to the times alone now because I know my dream, my passion, can be played out across the keys of my laptop.
While suffering through hot flashes, chronic insomnia, weight gain in unusual body areas, and chin hairs, I have been able to explore myself through my writing, and have once again come to know the absolute pleasure of doing something I are passionate about.
So, I never like to give advice - usually because I don't like taking it - but this is one topic I will be happy to take a stand on. Take some time today and think about what truly makes you happy, where your passions are vested, and what you can do about it right not. Whether it be gardening, painting, scrapbooking, or learning how to skydive. You deserve the time spent on just you and your pursuits and passions. Make this time of your life the best time of your life.
I know I am. And I'm writing it all down!
Well, I took my own advice. Shocking, isn't it?
For all of my life I have had a passion for writing. Truly, a passion. I've been an avid reader since I first learned my alphabet. By the time I was nine I'd read all the children's books in my local library and had graduated to the young adult series. At that time, Nancy Drew, Trixie Beldon and the Hardy Boys were the only real series books available. Goosebumps and The Babysitter's Club hadn't been written yet.
I started writing my own stories when I was in second grade, and actually won a prize in third grade for a story I did about a clown. During Highschool and college I always took creative writing courses and actually got pretty decent grades on things I handed in for review. During my first nursing job, I got published three times in Nursing magazines for articles I'd written on patient care. When my daughter was born and I took an extended leave ( 8 years!) from work, I supplemented my income with non-fiction articles in local newspapers and magazines from topics which included child care to how to save money in a household budget.
But I always drifted back to fiction writing. I was lucky to get several short stories published in various magazines during this time, plus I won a few nice honorable mentions in local and national writing contests. I even had a piece about motherhood published in one of the Chicken Soup Books. That was a real ego booster. Two children's books for a small press didn't hurt either.
Life intervened though, and I had to go back to work full time, putting my writing life on the back burner.
But the dream was always inside me, lying dormant, waiting for some kind of rebirth.
Last year my job was downsized and my hours were cut. Drastically. At the same time, I entered FBM ((Full blown menopause). My daughter was off on her own, forging her own life, my husband was still working full time, the old cat had died after 18 years of a good life, and I was suddenly left with gobs of time on my hands. I figured I could either mope around the house bemoaning my state, join a gym, eat, or start writing again.
Well, that decision was an easy one. I bought my first laptop, had my tech savvy daughter teach me the ins and outs of the word processing program, and I went to town. All the characters that had been looming around in my brain for the past 23 years started popping out in full force. Plot lines that I'd run for years mated with them and by december I had four new "novels" done. One of them I actually wrote during NANOWRIMO, in november. I entered a few contests, came in first place in two, third in another, and was able to secure a literary agent. Plus, I started this blog.
My fairy tale hasn't ended yet. I have a few publishing prospects on the line, but the truth is this: even if I never get a publishing contract, never have one of my books go to print, I will still be happy and fulfilled because I am back doing the thing that gives me the most joy and pleasure in life. I look forward to the times alone now because I know my dream, my passion, can be played out across the keys of my laptop.
While suffering through hot flashes, chronic insomnia, weight gain in unusual body areas, and chin hairs, I have been able to explore myself through my writing, and have once again come to know the absolute pleasure of doing something I are passionate about.
So, I never like to give advice - usually because I don't like taking it - but this is one topic I will be happy to take a stand on. Take some time today and think about what truly makes you happy, where your passions are vested, and what you can do about it right not. Whether it be gardening, painting, scrapbooking, or learning how to skydive. You deserve the time spent on just you and your pursuits and passions. Make this time of your life the best time of your life.
I know I am. And I'm writing it all down!
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