Live your own story. Today I thought about my story. I’m a writer but I don’t often put my own story together. I had a dream when I was in High School to work in the medical field. That or I wanted to be a journalist or some kind of writer. I married young and started a family so things didn’t work out the way I’d planned. Not right away, but I never lost sight of those dreams. They settled in the back of my brain for a while. I’d worked as a CAN for several years. When my oldest children were getting past the toddler stage, I told them and my husband they’d have to depend on a lot of each other for the next year. I found that with a grant, I could go to practical nursing school and get a license. I worked as an LPN for nearly twenty years before I had a meltdown. I got involved with a musical group and it turned out that it wasn’t the direction I needed to go. However, during that experience, an series of events happened that triggered a long dormant trauma. It was also at an age, nearly 40, that the symptoms I had turned into a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. I didn’t feel I was a safe nurse anymore. My emotions were cycling up and down and I couldn’t manage to get myself under control. That also affected my family. I tried working in medical transcription but after about a year, I started to break down under the pressure. I spent much of the next year and a half in and out of the hospital. Finally, we made the decision that I’d go on SSDI. Some people still think that social security disability is taken out of their taxes. It’s not. I’d been paying into the fund out of my paycheck for all the years I’d worked. I still felt like I could no longer contribute. Once I finally got stabilized on medication and a lot of therapy, I found that it was time that I do the other thing in life I felt strongly about. I set out to become a writer. I went back to college and took as many humanity and social science courses that I could. My junior year, I switched from a two-year college with a 4.0 grade point average to a four-year college. My counselor suggested that for my bachelor’s degree I should take business management. I didn’t think it would lead me into what I wanted to do but he strongly suggested it and I took his advice. I never went into business, but I never let go of that dream. I did take writing courses including creative writing as electives. I found that I did have an ability for writing. It wasn’t just a pipe dream. I’ve now written three novellas and a book of short stories. I’ve written and had several articles published. I’m currently on another book. I’ve also found an ability for art and crafts that I never knew I had. Nothing in life is wasted. The good and the bad are a part of my story. Don’t give up on your dreams. Don’t let anyone discourage you from pursuing them. I’m not wealthy as an author by far. I’ve sold a few books. I given some away and people who read them ask me when the next one will be out. You have a story. I haven’t written and autobiography, but there’s a piece of me in every story I write. You can accomplish your dreams if you don’t let the people who discourage wear you down. Your dreams are possible even if they don’t become the best in the world. They are important.