A Beautiful Discovery

                I loved school.  Let me rephrase that, I loved the learning that school provided.  My favorite topics were history, literature, social studies, and writing.  During a sermon by my pastor in my junior high days, he talked of heaven being a place we could do our favorite activities all day long.  I envisioned a huge library where I could learn and write.  I spent sixteen years in school and never grew tired of exploring new topics.  I did get tired of the social issues that accompany being a girl.  Popularity was never my forte.  Nor did I care for working three jobs to pay for college.  I still dream of attending college lectures, but cringe at the price tag and think maybe when the kids grow up.  I would love a degree in theology, a masters in literature, history, and writing.  Heck, I would love a doctorate in all those areas plus learn Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic. 

                The other day, I felt like I got hit over the head by an imaginary brick.  I am living my dream.  Okay, I am not getting degrees of any level, but I am constantly studying and writing.  I have written four books, three novels and one non-fiction.  I am learning how to edit the first novel.  I write blog posts and keep a journal.  I am studying the life of J.R.R. Tolkien and will extend it to C.S. Lewis.  I am studying Saint Jerome and reading the book he translated into Latin (the Bible) though I am reading the English translation.  I am also reading a fantasy trilogy.  Thus, I could say I am taking Novel Editing 201, Blog Writing 102, Twentieth Century British Writers 301, The Bible 102, The In-depth Study of Saint Jerome 306, and Young Adult Fantasy 302.  I believe it is about an 18 credit load for free!  Life is a blessing.

                Yesterday I watched a three minute video about doing the things we love to do, write, paint, build, be creative, study.  Money doesn’t matter, but being happy in our work does matter.  I love the concept.  My friend stated she wished we were taught that more in school when we were growing up.  I agree.  Instead of stifling our dreams, teachers should have shown us ways to expand them.  Now, I love money, so going into a field that would give me money was very important to me as it is for many artists, musicians, and like minded people.  The entire time I played in band and wrote essays the teachers never showed us how we could carry these talents into a life after school.

When my son informed us he wanted to be a musician he accused us of stifling his dreams because we did discuss money.  Many people are poor musicians.  My son has champagne taste.  His reality is he loves the finer things in life and needs to figure out how he is going to pay for them.  We needed to guide him.  Now he is looking at a degree in chemical engineering while still studying music.  I envision him playing his heart out in the evenings and weekends at a local jazz club while working at his money job during the day. 

For years, I shelved my writing.  I still studied though.  Fortunately, a friend prodded me to start writing again.  I am eternally grateful to him.  I can’t believe I quit doing it because I wouldn’t make money at it.  (My first story was harshly rejected about sixteen years ago which put me into a massive writer’s block.)  My heart soars when I play with my words.  I have a friend who is a painter, but she doesn’t do it because she can’t make money at it.  I understand.  I have been there.  It is hard to raise kids, work at a job that gives you money and benefits.  Money does matter, but so does the creative side of our personalities.

I would love to see a new movement in education that sat kids down and discussed their dreams.  Helped them find ways to make those dreams come true even if all it ended up being is a “hobby.”  I envision them also being able to explore topics that aren’t on the syllabus.  Kids are put into boxes and not shown how to get out.  My older son is very artistic.  By day he goes to school and works a couple of jobs, in his spare time he makes masks.  Will he ever sale those masks?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But he still creates and dreams.  I will always dream of making money by publishing my writing.  People may stifle that dream from time to time, but I will continue to have my own little heaven here on Earth by studying and writing by being creative.  How are you creative?  What are your dreams?  Are you working towards those dreams?

Blessings to you all.