Yearning

Hello Readers,

Welcome back to my author's newsletter blog, Happy DETours!

Today's topic is about yearning. At a recent event, I met a lovely young lady who was very interested in my author journey. Like many fresh faced college grads she told me that she took a job in her career field as soon as she graduated last year. It was the job she had worked so hard for throughout college and she was excelling in her position.

But... there's always a but, she yearns for more. She mentioned that she had fallen in love with poetry while she was in college and started dabbling with writing her own. From our conversation, I could sense that poetry was what really sparked her joy. Her eyes lit up and the happiness in her voice as she discussed her desire to share her words was contagious. I couldn't help but share her enthusiasm as we discussed everything from hopes and fears, to writing and publishing.

She was very practical repeating that she would not leave her 9-5 job that she worked so hard for but that writing poetry evoked something different inside of her. How the draw to write was so strong. The fears of showing others her poetry and the worry of "am I good enough" were familiar echoes inside my mind as she spoke it out loud. Maybe it was the mom or the teacher or the author in me but I felt an overwhelming need to nurture her hopes and dreams.

I told her not to wait. To write her poetry. That she can still have her stable 9-5 job while pursuing something that brings light into her life. To be brave and share her words. That it will be scary and vulnerable at first but as a writer you WILL find your readers. It may not be for everyone but it never is. Or rather, it never should be. Write what you want to read and they will come.

Sometimes the daily grind of word counts, research, business management, marketing and promoting can suck the air right out of the room. But seeing her come alive talking about her writing rejuvenated me. It reminded me why I do this even when there are stressful times and deadlines. Although I didn't find my passion for writing till later in life, I could tell she had already found hers. And when you find that something, you should get after it. Don't wait!

To all the aspiring (insert passion here), I encourage you to take that detour, live without regrets and follow your dreams today!

Happy DETours,

Jenn