“Maybe the journey
isn’t so much about
becoming anything.
Maybe it’s about
unbecoming
everything that isn’t
really you,
so you can be who
you were meant to
be in the first place.–Anonymous
I found this quote in one of countless writing notebooks I own (my version of shoe obsession) and have been thinking about it a great deal lately. As a “grownup,” I’ve been a radio announcer, an organic egg farmer, a toy store salesperson, hawked hardware, taught pre-k, worked behind a desk as a receptionist and legal secretary, and waited tables (short-lived thanks to an intoxicated diner and his propensity to throw a porterhouse too many drinks in).
They say to be careful for what you wish for but I think the opposite is true. I wished for a calling that would make me feel inspired, where I could set my own schedule and spend time collecting and telling stories. I found it in writing. My first poem, “What is Night” was my twelve-year-old self trying to make sense of a world over which I had little control. And I continue to write about things I can’t make sense of, and somehow that has brought me closer to where I need to be.
“So you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.” At least now I’m on the right path.