When I grow up...

So what do you want to do when you grow up?   A typical refrain from our childhood, am I right?   Well, surprisingly here I am at 54 and starting to wonder what’s next for me. If you've been following along with my blogs then you'll know that I've had a rather varied career and taken a path generally not followed by many, but one which has clearly been both fulfilling and enjoyable for the most part, mostly because of the people that I've had the opportunity to work with over the years.

After I published my book I connected with the principals of both Zach and Sami’s schools to let them know my interest in donating a copy of my book to their libraries.  In both situations they were thrilled that I had accomplished a personal goal and that I wanted to donate a copy of my book, but it also piqued their curiosity as to my path to becoming an author and my weekly blog writer.  Subsequently each invited me to come in and speak to their student body about my journey to becoming an author.  

Time to reflect...

Clearly this wasn't my original intent, but I'm thrilled with the opportunity to practice telling the story of the incredible journey that I’m on. I've also realized that along with my writing I'm also a bit of a ham, hence my branching out into Improv and now some motivational speaking might be just the trick! ☺   

Although I often ask myself “how did I get here?”  Until I made the decision to begin documenting the stories of my life for Zach and Sami, I hadn’t shown a lot of interest in writing, even though I love reading and devour books a couple at a time.  Perhaps it was something about telling my stories, it gave me opportunities to reminisce and to look deeply at the situations and stories from my life and understand how they affected me and shaped the person I am today.  What if I'd chosen a different path?  Perhaps one of self-pity and loss after my dad’s death rather than the positive approach and the lesson learned during his last six months with me.  

I had a rather serendipitous moment this week, quite unexpectedly I received an email from a business colleague whom I hadn't spoken to or seen in 18 years.  She related via email that was recently in Peru hiking the Inca trail to Machu Picchu and one night was online researching an American tour company that had the word “adventures” in its name and came upon my blog and subsequently me.  How interesting is that?

She quickly confirmed that it was indeed the Terence Wallis she had worked with so long ago and began reading my blogs…in fact every one of them over the course of the following month.  

When I read her email I realized how impactful my blog had been, especially as she shared her very personal journey with me. It was a story of deep and heartbreaking loss, of life changing diagnosis, and eventually of regeneration and new found love.  I was blown away by her candor and emotional strength, but what struck me most was the fragility of life.

Pompano Beach - Florida

You quickly realize how short life is and how important it is to live every day and cherish every second.  I know we all say this, but really do we change anything about our lives to reinforce this important message…

Unfortunately the practicalities of life often get in the way of living our dreams fully. If you're like me, then you're somewhat torn between “paying the bills”, living for today and planning my total escape once the kids are in University (sorry guys).  

My friends email this week definitely made me take a step back and reevaluate where I am in my life - thank you for sharing this with me.  Right now I'm in Pompano Beach, Florida on March break with Zach and Sami (a perfect tonic in itself) so I'll have some time on my hands this coming week as I stroll the wide beach or sit by the pool in the beautiful sunshine soaking up the rays.   

Perhaps this IS my next gig – sitting in the sun and thinking?  ☺