About 2 minutes
Once, during a job interview, I was hit with one of those questions unrelated to the job but intended to uncover more about me.
“What is your dream profession?”
I was applying for project work in the insurance industry. Working in insurance should not be anyone’s dream profession, so I could not fathom lying convincingly enough that insurance was anything other than a job of timing and convenience. Despite being told my answer did not need to be related to the position, my gut screamed, “Trap!”
Still, I determined in the moment that honesty was the best approach.
“I would love to be a writer.”
The answer was met with thoughtful nods and affirmations that I gave a unique answer. What I thought about and hold valuable while giving that answer 13 years ago still holds true today.
I want to wake up in a lake house and go out on the porch with my steaming mug of coffee to watch the morning fog rise from the lake’s still waters. As I sit in the natural peace of the waking world, my thoughts can organize and creative ideas can begin forming into tangible output. Once the coffee is gone, I will make my way to the office, with broad windows maintaining my view of the lake, and begin crafting words and pages and full works of imagination.
Being able to write full-time and bring my ideas to life through words and imagery has always been the dream. The lake house is not necessary for that dream to come true, but it makes for a nice accessory that may, or may not, help unlock any latent writing potential.
In the meantime, writing is the hobby consuming no small share of effort and time. There is always room to improve and evolve my voice. Ultimately, however, I aim to write as long as it makes me happy and can transport me to the worlds I create. If others also find a modicum of enjoyment from my words, it is bonus confirmation of effort well spent.
So until the lake house becomes a reality and writing is the thing, the only thing – no meetings or projects or performance evals – I jot down the fanciful thought and find the topic du jour that sparks a few paragraphs. Writing will remain the dream. It will persist as that thing best encapsulating the perceptions and pursuits that lie hidden behind the professional front of platitudes and “progress”. Sharing words drafted from the font of thought is what fills the margins of a hectic and full life.
Featured Image: Shutterstock 1976000066 (Mazur Travel)
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