Yesterday, I picked up a new follower on Twitter, @deangloster. His profile jumped out at me. In his bio, he wrote:
Novelist. Reader. Former standup comic. Former lawyer (in remission.)
Somehow, that gave me a chuckle. It made me think about my past and the things I used to be.
Earlier in the day, another tweet caught my eye. This one was from @725TAMARA08. She wrote:
I considered going into the ministry but i didn’t have an altar ego.
Again, it gave me a giggle. I found it especially funny because at one point in my life, I actually considered going to seminary. For several years, I worked as para-professional clergy until internal politics drove me not only out of the congregation, but away from organized religion as well.
The following quote fits:
What is a wife and what is a harlot? What is a church and what is a theatre? are they two and not one? Can they exist separate? Are not religion and politics the same thing? Brotherhood is religion. O demonstrations of reason dividing families in cruelty and pride!
~ William Blake
These bits from Twitter got me thinking about paths not taken. When I started thinking about them, I realized that my list is pretty long. I used to be:
- a wannabe writer
- a pizza delivery driver
- a car salesperson
- a wannabe American Sign Language interpreter
- a McDonald’s cashier
- a hotel desk clerk
- a teacher (ASL and computer classes)
- a computer bulletin board operator
- broke
- technically homeless
- a waitress (for one day — I really sucked!)
- para-professional clergy
- a foster parent
- an adoptive parent
- married
With the exception of writer, pretty much all of these things are now securely in my past. Some of the things on this list are associated with happy memories. Others, not so much. Like everyone, I have my joys, my sorrows, my remembrances, and my regrets.
But can I call myself a writer and not a wannabe? I say yes.
I’ve written and published two novels so far. I’ve done the work. I’ll do more. While every artist hopes for great commercial success, sometimes it takes a while to arrive.
I think Winston Churchill said it best: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”