Who Were You Meant to Be?

I watched this video tonight at my husband's urging. I'm glad I did, because it made me think about my own education and that of my children. I still remember when my son's kindergarten teacher sent me a note because he had colored an apple purple instead of red. She was perturbed about it. I was perturbed about her.

Luckily, we moved shortly after that and my son and daughter were blessed with wonderful teachers who helped them discover their strengths instead of trying to stuff them into rigid boxes.

Sir Ken Robinson talks about epiphanies in this video, a subject close to my heart. He asked a number of people to describe the epiphanies in their own lives, the moment in time where they realized what they were meant to do. Or, as I would put it, who they were meant to be. My husband recalls the first time he played a guitar -- that was an epiphany for him.

I don't remember when I decided to write; in fact, I don't think there was a decision involved. I've written ever since I learned how to put pen to paper. I started typing before I was 12 and haven't stopped since then. Stories, poems, letters, articles, essays, novels, non-fiction books, blogs -- I write the way others breathe. I talk a lot, but I write even more than I talk. I don't know how to not write. (Note: this doesn't mean I've mastered the art, but I try.)

Sir Ken Robinson tells the story of a girl who couldn't sit still in school, and her teachers were sure something was wrong with her. Her parents sent her to dance school and she became a top ballerina. She related her thrill at walking into a place where everyone was just like her.

That's what it was like for me when I joined RWA and my local chapter -- finding others who love to write was indescribable. I also read constantly, and I had a similar sense of coming home when I discovered the book club boards at Barnes & Noble (BN.com). To spend your life thinking you're odd and alone in this obsessive love of books, and then to discover there are thousands who feel the same way -- it's an incomparable gift.

I hate to think of others who still think they are alone, or who have not found a way to express their talents. I am not much for giving advice but I'll say this: do what you love. Don't let anything stop you. Even if you don't succeed, you'll be happier for trying.