Hubby and I want to pare down our junk and get rid of things. Like most people our age, we have too much stuff we’ve collected over the years that means nothing to anyone but us. Some of it means nothing to us, we’ve just forgotten we still have it.
I went through an old box last week and came across a journal I’d occasionally written in from 2000 to 2004. To my surprise, I wrote a lot about my concerns with growing old, getting wrinkled, and being too fat. I’m still all those things, but I don’t think about it as much as I apparently did back then. Funny thing is I wish I weighed what I did back then. It’s a lot less than I do now.
A lot happened to our family during those years. We became empty nesters. Our daughter got married. I went through several jobs because of moves with Hubby’s career moves. I wrote about my fear and dread after 9/11. Our trips to all over and our adventures with our son hiking in the Black Hills. Journals are precious when they provide a glimpse back into your life. That’s why keeping one is such a good thing to do.
The most exciting part of the journal was I recorded my first attempts at writing and becoming a writer. I’ll share that part with you:
For something new, I am writing a story. It’s like a book but I doubt I’ll ever let anyone read it. It’s silly but I’ve had a great time doing it. With such a dull job, it’s fun to do something creative for a change. I’ve always made up stories in my head, especially when doing mundane things. It helps pass the time. This time I’ve decided to write the story down. It’s just a very rough draft right now but it’ll be fun to finish. I guess it comes from a life-long desire to be someone else for a little while. The stories come from imagining myself in movies. Silly dreams but I’ve never outgrown them. I used to think my enormous imagination was a curse, but I’ve found it to be an enormous blessing from God. Very, very few of my imaginings have really happened but it helps me be a better problem solver by imagining different solutions and their possible outcomes.
That entry is from August 22, 2004. That story turned out to be the first book I published in 2015, The Treasure of Adonis. I took a long time for it to see the light of day. After I started learning how to write fiction, only then was I comfortable with letting people see it. A lot of people have seen it and liked it.
Back then, I never dreamed of being where I am today, with nine self-published books and on the way early next year. After searching my whole life, I found what I was meant to be: a writer. It’s where I’m comfortable and feel fulfilled. It was a long journey, but I’m glad to be here.