Just Writing Through: Sometimes Doors Close, and Sometimes That Is OK

Sometimes we are surprised to find the beauty
in what might seem like a failure.

Sometimes doors close, and sometimes that is OK.

I’ve had some friends recently who have become frustrated with doors that have closed ~ talented friends ~ friends who inspire me. I understand you, friends! It is frustrating to be on the other side of that door as you stand by and watch it close, but there is so much more waiting in the periphery if you don’t give up and never give in! Sometimes your greatest achievements come after what you initially perceive as a failure.

I taught high school English for several years before I stayed at home to raise my children. Gosh, that first year in teaching was hard, but as I look back on all of the many courses I taught and all of the students I had, my heart is full. It was a great job.

I still get excited when I read about the successes my students have had. I like seeing them at restaurants with their children. I enjoy getting a “friend request” on Facebook from a student of long ago. I love seeing them make a difference in the lives of others.

I won’t lie, it was hard to leave the career I had set out to have, but, ultimately, I fell into the career that I’d always wanted ~ with a small tweak.

I’d always loved writing, but I had my dreams set on a novel. However, being grounded in reality, I knew being a writer likely would not pay my rent or grocery bill. I earned my degree in secondary English education with a minor in media studies (with a focus on journalism). I had no idea that, years later, I would be so thankful for the journalism minor!

A year after having my first child, I was missing the excitement of the high school environment, but I was not yet ready to go back to teaching full time. I saw an ad for stringers at the local paper and thought that would be perfect ~ I had taught the journalism class at the high school and had an AP background. The rest, as they say, is history.

After hundreds of stories written, I still feel the thrill of interviewing each person and listening to his or her stories. I love researching to find a magazine or publication that would be the perfect fit to feature someone's story. I’ve discovered that one of my greatest joys is to write stories that let people see themselves and their accomplishments as others see them. I love to capture the unassuming inspiration and the achievements of everyday people who are everyday heroes.

As I look back at the ten-year anniversary of my last year of teaching, I am reminded that doors are just as easily opened as they are closed. Even now, when a relationship with an organization or a group of people ends because their story has been written, I feel a strange longing to keep that door open. The people I write about or photograph weave their way into my heart and I never forget them. As a human-interest writer, I get to learn a lot about my subjects. Sometimes, because of the nature of my writing, the content is sensitive. I believe strongly that my job is to tell the truth, but to be respectful and treat each person with dignity ~ both in words and in the photographs I choose to publish.

I have been blessed over the years to have met so many incredible people ~ and so often, I get to write about them just as their world begins to open up in ways they had never imagined. I never forget the people who have put their stories in my hands. But, as doors gradually and quietly close, new ones slowly crack open. And it is within those slivers of light that the journey lies.

I have learned always to look forward to new journeys ~ you never know who you might meet, where you might end up, or what you might find.