In some ways, I envy my son, who is on the cusp of graduating high school. At this stage of the game, almost any choice remains a possibility, as long as he is willing to pour heart and soul and the Labors of Hercules into attaining it.
The older one gets and the more one invests in any specific goal, the dimmer grow the other possibilities. I'm not saying that we lose our ability to make different choices, only that it becomes harder and harder to change as we age. And by middle age, we hear doors close behind us as we realize that some choices, indeed, are now irrevocable. All those alternate career or lifestyle or even partner dreams we've harbored can no longer come true.
Except if you're a writer. Then you get to have it all.
Through my novels, I have explored alternate life choices. I've imagined careers as a jewelry artist, veterinarian, firefighter, physical therapist... I've lived in other regions, experienced other times and partners. I've imagined in detail, I've tried out activities that range from a simple riverside hike to a glider flight over the desert. I've toured historic homes and checked out a wealth of antiques and picked the brains of scores of fascinating people I never would have met without playing the research card. And the best part? I can go on doing this as long as my faculties allow it, as long as I have the imagination and intelligence to pursue the dream job I chose to pursue above all others, the one career that allows me to embrace all the rest --and then some-- and get paid for it to boot.
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