How lucky for all of us that you didn’t give up writing! I’m 52, and I feel as though my life is beginning all over again. My three children have reached adulthood, and I’m pursuing a master’s degree in creative writing, something I’ve longed to do for many years. Now I’m in a position to do it.
For 25 years my life was devoted to my wife and kids and to my job as a newspaper reporter and editor. Then, in 2009, everything turned. My marriage unraveled and I left the floundering newspaper business, with its long hours working nights and weekends and holidays. Now, after seven years supervising a team of 12 marketing and advertising copywriters, I’ve been offered a job with another company writing corporate communications, with no supervisory duties, and I’m weighing whether to accept.
When I was a journalist I never knew what time I’d get home from work. The events of the day dictated for me. These days I’m protective of my time away from work because when I get home, all I do is fire up the laptop and write, write, write. I have one month to finish revising my thesis for school, then I’ll defend the thesis April 21 and graduate in May.
Returning to school, and dedicating myself to personal writing and fiction writing for the first time in my life, has rejuvenated me to a degree that is hard to describe. But you described it perfectly: “Now I aspire to spend 24 hours awake and aware.” Yes, that’s it, exactly. Some nights I don’t sleep, otherwise I’ll never get down all the things I have to say.
I feel a kinship with you, Colette, because the things you write are the things I’m feeling and thinking. I hope we will be companions on this road. I feel like we are already. Synchronicity.
I’m burning with desire to write and create. After half a century of living for others, it’s my time — finally.
