Kelly KleinSo the year was 1997 and there I was, waiting for the guidance counsellor to call me into her office. The appointment was to discuss my future. I was filled with hopes and dreams, excited for my emerging adulthood. What I didn’t realize was that she would send me on an entirely different path.
My name was called. I sat in front of her desk, bursting with excitement. In a few short months, my school career would end and the rest of my life would begin. What a great time to be alive!
She sat. She smiled. She asked me that question I was dying to hear: “So, what would you like to do after you graduate?”
“I want to be a writer!”
“Oh. Well,” she said, in a voice that didn’t sound too promising. “What about school? Community college?”
“If I can take courses related to writing, sure.”
“I have your transcript here. There’s only one university that offers writing courses in the city and with your grades…I’m afraid you’ll never qualify.” She gave me the name of the university and the courses I could never take. Apparently, she assumed I wanted to be a journalist. Never, have I ever, wanted to write for a newspaper.
Despite never wanting to be a journalist, the wind in my sails stilled and my boat was stuck in the doldrums, where it stayed for twenty years. I stared into space as she went on about other options. I smiled and nodded, while inside my dreams were shattering.
That day she suggested that because I love to read, I’d be a great library technician. I took the course, didn’t enjoy it, flunked out.
I couldn’t let go of my dream to become an author, but I also couldn’t let go of her comments that I could never be a writer; that I had to settle. I learned over the years that a settled-for live is no life at all.
Over the years, I’ve always been told that it’s rare to make a living as a writer. I was told to have a Plan B. Having a plan B is a sure way to not focus on your dreams and to settle for less. A Plan B ensures you won’t do what it takes to achieve your Plan A.
I admit to losing sight of my dream for awhile. I worked a series of low-level, low-income jobs. I accepted my reality. I believed that because of my grades I would never be able to do what I want to do. It wasn’t until years after that fateful day in Grade 12 that I learned that I didn’t need a degree to be a writer.
Even though I lost sight of my dream, I couldn’t stop writing. I started several stories, finished a novella, wrote fan fiction, and even some poetry. It still remained a hobby I enjoyed.
After some soul searching, I decided to once again take my writing seriously. After my son was born, I stayed home and became a homemaker. It gave me a little more time…but unfortunately didn’t give me the confidence. I will talk about confidence in another article. I did, however, write a few novels in that time (first drafts).
So my dream was reborn, and now I will soon be living my dream. I was always a late bloomer, but I’ll get there eventually. And you know what? You will too!
May your life be passionate!
