The Greatest Gift
We all have dreams of what we will be when we grow up. Some dream of being a firefighter or police officer, some a doctor or nurse. For me, I have known what I wanted to be since I learned to read and write. I have always dreamed of being an author. From the first books I learned to read, I found myself lost in the adventures of Laura Ingalls or Huckleberry Finn. Reading was my escape from a difficult life; it offered me the possibility of so much more in life.
Even today, the books I read are like friends to me. I share with them their sadness through my tears, my laughter with their humor, and they can leave me trembling with fear. Even the smell of a book brings me to my happy place. There is nothing that excites me more than going into a library or bookstore, or to an office supply store to get more supplies.
I have studied the craft of writing. I have shared stories of my life through my written word. I even share my deepest emotions through the poetry I write. It is all I want to do. There are times that I am confident in my writing, and others where I feel like a failure. It is like a yo-yo of emotions, never knowing if I am good enough.
If I am being honest, I have not had a lot of faith in my writing ability, but luckily for me, I had a mentor whose belief in me has given me the confidence to keep going. His guidance and support was the greatest gift I have been given.
In my freshman year of college, while attending a community college, I found myself sitting in my English class, terrified. I had the world’s toughest professor, who took the English language more seriously than the end of the world. Each comma had its place. Each semicolon should be used with care. There was no laziness allowed when it came to this professor. We all learned quickly that this would be a hard class.
While this class was difficult, I found out quite quickly that, although he was hard, he was also very fair. He wanted his students to succeed. It was through him that I not only continued my love of writing, but I also developed my love of the English language and how something as simple as the annoying comma or semicolon could change the meaning of a sentence.
My mentor was Dr. Bill Hotchkiss. He held a PhD in English, had published many fictional novels, and shared his soul through his poetry. When I was frustrated with myself, or lost faith in my writing, he was right there to put me back in line. He was serious about the craft, but had a compassionate heart of gold. He believed in me and my writing, and at the time, gave me the confidence to keep moving forward with it.
Having a mentor is what kept me going, and for many others it does the same. When there are times you feel like you are running in circles chasing your tail, a mentor is there to help you stop spinning so to speak.
Having a mentor in whatever career you choose can make the difference in succeeding and failing. They have a wealth of knowledge they are eagerly willing to share. The kind of knowledge you won’t learn in a classroom. They have already experienced everything you are about to embark on, and will make the sometimes-scary journey easier.
My mentor’s knowledge came from years of experience, and unfortunately, he passed away at the end of my freshman year. To this day I have saved emails he has written me, complementing me on my writing ability. I have them in a binder, and when I am feeling down on my writing, I pull them out. They always give me the pick-me-up I need.
I cannot stress enough the importance of finding a mentor. The mentoring I had was one of the greatest gifts I have ever received, and the knowledge and experience I have gained I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
