Once upon a time, back when I was a 5th grader in a small Texas town, we had career day at our school. We all had to dress up as what we wanted to be when we grew up, and take turns standing on a stage in front of the whole school and saying what that was.<\/p>\n
Most of the girls in my class wanted to be teachers, and the boys were fighter pilots, police officers, or doctors. My best friend wanted to be a brain surgeon, and I stood on that stage and announced \u201cWhen I grow up, I\u2019m going to be an author.\u201d (My \u201ccostume\u201d was jeans, a t-shirt, hair in a pony tail, pencils stuck in my hair, and glasses. It\u2019s all correct except the glasses.)<\/p>\n
I can still recall the pursed lips of my teacher, and the way she looked at us over her glasses. We weren\u2019t picking \u201cgirl jobs\u201d, and I\u2019m not sure she approved. Later that day she called me up to her desk and asked me why I wanted to be a writer. I looked down at my shoes, shrugged my shoulders, and eloquently mumbled, \u201cI dunno.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing an author is hard work,\u201d she told me. \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to write a book, and even harder to get one published. I don\u2019t think you know just how hard that job really is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even now, nearly 30 years later, I can feel the hot flush of my cheeks and the tears that prickled my eyes. I let out the breath I\u2019d been holding and said dejectedly, \u201cI guess I could be a Navy pilot like my dad\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe you should think about it,\u201d she said gently, \u201cI\u2019m not sure that the military lets women fly planes.\u201d (They didn\u2019t back then.)<\/p>\n
For years I\u2019ve remembered the hopelessness I felt as a kind word from a well-meaning woman almost crushed my dreams. It has made me eager to encourage, and wary of warning. It also made me determined.<\/p>\n
Which is why, when I became an author, I took one of my shiny new books and sent it off to her. I inscribed it \u201cTo Mrs T \u2013 who taught me consider all the possibilities that life might hold.\u201d I was slightly giddy as I included a screen shot of my book at the #1 spot on the best seller list.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know what I hoped that her reaction would be, but I have it on very good authority that she has proudly shown off both the book and the print out to anyone she can. I\u2019ve somehow become her \u201cmost favorite pupil,\u201d and the one she \u201cknew would do great things.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think I\u2019ll let her have that one. I\u2019ve recently reread my journals from way back then, and while she may have tried to put a damper on my dreaming, she\u2019s also the lady who told me \u201cStop trying so hard to please me. Don\u2019t worry about what you think I want to hear. Do your work the best way that you know how and work as hard as you can. Then when you turn it in, you can sleep easy.\u201d I wrote it down because I didn\u2019t know what she meant back in the day, and I hoped some day that I would get it.<\/p>\n
At almost 40, I get it\u2026but I\u2019m still glad she\u2019s pleased with the work I sent her. It was like getting a hard won gold star from one of the toughest teachers I ever had. I\u2019m even prouder that it is exactly as I wanted it to be\u2026and I know that\u2019s the part she\u2019d like best of all.<\/p>\n
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Once upon a time, back when I was a 5th grader in a small Texas town, we had career day at our school. We all had to dress up as what we wanted to be when we grew up, and take turns standing on a stage in front of the whole school and saying what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1979,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n