Enjoying the Journey

Many, many moons ago when I started college, I had my life totally planned out. Finish college at age twenty-one, get accepted into vet school, get married at twenty-four, have a kid at twenty-six, etc.

We all have plans for our lives, but life doesn't always fit in the neat and tidy little compartments we wish it would. Out of that small list, I accomplished only one of those goals, ONE--I finished college at the age of twenty-one. True, it was with a different major than pre-Veterinary medicine, but I made an educated choice to change it. I looked at my experience working at a vet clinic and discovered that I enjoyed the lab work the most, so I changed my major to Medical Technology. Trust me, it wasn't like I had a goof-off schedule to be a MT, I still had to take chemistry until it freakin' bled from my veins. And I had a great time as my career as a MT progressed. I worked evenings (3-11--HATED IT!), I worked night shift (11-7--LOVED IT!), and day shift with weird hours (5-1:30--LOVED IT!).

I had made a conscientious choice to change my journey.

I didn't get married or have kids in my theoretical time frame. BUT I learned to ride a horse. This was something I always wanted to do ever since I read Walter Farley's THE BLACK STALLION. We couldn't afford anything horse related when I was growing up, so I had to wait until I was older and could pay for it on my own. Then I bought my first horse. Trust me, this wasn't even on the original radar screen. I met a new crew of friends. Went through the agony of selling one horse and buying another, and again. Abe, horse #2, really taught me how to ride--before that I was going through the motions. Landing on your ass a bazillion times tends to teach you to keep your leg superglued to the horse's sides!

I made a conscientious choice to change my journey

I had an opportunity to attend my brother's wedding in France. Too bad, my luggage went to Tel Aviv and I remained in France. I learned that to get off a train on the wrong side is a BAD THING. Afterwards, I backpacked across Europe for two weeks--ALONE. Yes, I met a variety of people on my journey, but the next day we parted, each on our own journey. I learned that it is more fun to enjoy the journey WITH someone though there are times the road we travel must be alone.

I married at the age of thirty, almost thirty-one. I traveled to Germany, England, Wales, Paris with my hubster. And at the ripe old age of thirty-nine I had a kiddo.

I decided to write a book at the age of forty. Why not? It wasn't in my grand scheme of life, but I wanted to see if I could. I finished that story and started another, and another. With each story I wrote, each new endeavor I undertook, I learned new things and made new friends.

Again, I changed the direction of my journey.

Parts of my life have gone by the wayside: my horses and riding, but I still have one friend from those days (Hey, Jody!). I don't really write romance any longer, but I've still kept in touch with some of my buddies.

On Monday, I received another rejection from the requested partial of MOGG. Am I disappointed? Yes. Am I surprised? Not really. I have few queries out there, but they are approaching the six week mark, so I don't expect any nibbles. As sad as it is I still plan to write #2 in the series and write a romantic suspense by the end of this year and start the process all over again.

As we travel the path of life it is good to have a goal, but always be aware that reaching the goal isn't the fun part of the trip--it's the journey. Because reaching a goal just opens the road to another goal, thus the journey changes but still continues.

Enjoy the journey, because the journey is what makes us WHO we are. It gives us the baggage we choose, or not to choose, to carry around. We meet new friends, some remain friends and others move on as our paths diverge into various directions.

Enjoy the journey because even if you never reach the original goal, you'll still enjoy the road you travel.

Write on!