This week's topic: What I wanted to do when I grew up vs. what I do
When I was 5, I wanted to be Wonder Woman. She was my favorite superhero, aside from Superman. I had a Wonder Woman t-shirt and every time I wore it, I pretended to be her.
When I was about 8, my uncle brought home a puppy that he bought from a friend of his. My mom fell in love with this part Doberman/part German Shepherd/part something else (we don't know for sure! lol). My uncle named his puppy Jagger, after his favorite singer from the Rolling Stones. My mom asked him to get one for her, too. A day later, he went back to the farm and brought home the first puppy who greeted him. My mom named her Reva, after her favorite character from her favorite soap opera, The Guiding Light, Reva Shayne Lewis.
I fell totally in love with our dog! Reva was my very first pet and I helped my mom train her and play with her. She was adorable! But, then Reva got sick. I can't remember now exactly what happened, but she started losing her fur in spots. We took her to the veterinarian and I was amazed by this animal hospital and the doctors working there. The vet looked her over and prescribed medicated dog food. Whatever the problem was, it cleared up.
At that moment, I decided when I grew up, I'd be a veterinarian so I could help keep pets healthy for other families as well as my own.
And that's what I wanted to do for years and years. I read books on dogs and cats, as well as other animals, learning all I could about how to take care of them. When I was a teenager, I volunteered for an animal rehabilitation center where I helped feed and care for the animals there and educate people about them at fairs and events.
When I was about 12, I developed a huge crush on Indiana Jones. It was maybe around the time that Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade released on VHS (this was my first VHS tape as a birthday present!). I'd always been a fan, but something about this movie pulled me into the world of history. Now I know Indiana isn't the ideal archaeologist, but when I was a kid, this idea thrilled me. I wanted to be an archaeologist. I wanted to discover ancient cultures and solve long-forgotten mysteries.
I began reading history books and books about other cultures. Every week, I'd pick a new book from the library about another part of history that I wanted to learn. I discovered a great love of history that I continue with today. I've always had a difficult time picking a favorite time period. They're all so interesting!
It wasn't until I was 18, taking a creative writing class for my senior year in high school that the thought of becoming an author began to take root in my mind. I've talked about my experience with Mr. McCormick's class on my blog before, so I won't go into it here, but it was that moment in my life that I decided I wanted to become a published author.
I had several jobs during my teenage years from babysitter to painting tables for the local farmer's market to working at Burger King. After high school, I worked in a few sewing factories before I found a job as a temporary seasonal sales clerk for Waldenbooks. A few months later, I was hired as a part-time bookseller. Shortly after that, I quit my factory job sewing women's lingerie and became Assistant Manager at Waldenbooks where I worked for the next 12 years, writing at night and on lunch breaks and submitting to magazines and book publishers. This was the best job I'd ever had and I'm so grateful for the time I spent there and the people and lifelong friends I met. My bookstore family!
The rest, as they say, is history. Now, I'm working full-time as a published author while raising my four kids on my own. I'm living my dream and loving every minute! (Although, I do miss my bookstore!!)
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| Reva and my mom. |
I fell totally in love with our dog! Reva was my very first pet and I helped my mom train her and play with her. She was adorable! But, then Reva got sick. I can't remember now exactly what happened, but she started losing her fur in spots. We took her to the veterinarian and I was amazed by this animal hospital and the doctors working there. The vet looked her over and prescribed medicated dog food. Whatever the problem was, it cleared up.
At that moment, I decided when I grew up, I'd be a veterinarian so I could help keep pets healthy for other families as well as my own.
And that's what I wanted to do for years and years. I read books on dogs and cats, as well as other animals, learning all I could about how to take care of them. When I was a teenager, I volunteered for an animal rehabilitation center where I helped feed and care for the animals there and educate people about them at fairs and events.
I began reading history books and books about other cultures. Every week, I'd pick a new book from the library about another part of history that I wanted to learn. I discovered a great love of history that I continue with today. I've always had a difficult time picking a favorite time period. They're all so interesting!
It wasn't until I was 18, taking a creative writing class for my senior year in high school that the thought of becoming an author began to take root in my mind. I've talked about my experience with Mr. McCormick's class on my blog before, so I won't go into it here, but it was that moment in my life that I decided I wanted to become a published author.
The rest, as they say, is history. Now, I'm working full-time as a published author while raising my four kids on my own. I'm living my dream and loving every minute! (Although, I do miss my bookstore!!)
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Wow, you've had a lot of different jobs! I think it's wonderful you can make a living as an author. And working in a bookstore must have been great fodder for your future stories.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be able to write full time, so I'm jealous :)
ReplyDelete