Last Wednesday, I ran through the New York City Port Authority like a banshee, my fifty-pound book bag slamming against my back, sweat breaking out on my forehead. The clock flashed 8:27 PM. I had three minutes to make the bus or wait until 11pm bus, which wouldnā€™t get me home until 1 AM. The national guardsmen eyed me as I flew by. One touched his gun and then he smiled, surely figuring that the capri-wearing middle-aged woman wasnā€™t a terrorist. I bounded down the escalator to gate 19 and stopped. There were only three people in line.

ā€œIs this the 8:30 bus to Reading?ā€ I huffed. ā€œWhere is everybody?ā€

ā€œThe bus leaves at 9.ā€

Well, lucky for me! I slid into line delighted Iā€™d read the schedule incorrectly. How could I not be happy? I was in my beloved place. Thatā€™s right. The New York Port Authority is one of my favorite spots. The air, exhaust, and hustle and bustle. This is where it all started thirty years ago. Iā€™d travel to and from PA day after day hunting down my hope to be an actress. Now Iā€™m lugging it from my small town to the Big Apple to study writing with Susan Shapiro. My novel What The Valley Knows will be published in January. Iā€™m excited and feel alive.

As I waited to board the bus, a pigeon walked by as I adjusted my book bag. Oh, itā€™s even more charming than I remember. Birds to boot!

All of this makes me happy. Sometimes, I want to pinch myself. Pursuing my creative dreams again feels right. Maybe the idioms Iā€™ve come to live by, the ones Iā€™ve posted on my computer desk, and said enough times to make my kids vomit, have really worked. So I made a list on the bus ride home of the sayings that have pulled me through to this point. Would any of the following find a spot on your list?

Itā€™s never too late to be who you might have been. (George Eliot, the pen name of Victorian novelist Mary Ann Evans). When I used to think about who I set out to be as a young person, I felt like Iā€™d strayed so far from my true self. But now Iā€™m taking little steps to become a writer, because . . .

From small things, big things come. (Bruce Springsteen ā€“ lyrics here)Ā When Iā€™m facing a huge project, I try to do the next small thing. Like the Army General Creighton Abrams was famous for saying, ā€œWhen eating an elephant, take one bite at a time.ā€ Life can be overwhelming: kids, work, household chores, let alone the pursuit of our own ambitions. Take little bites. Iā€™ve found that, one sentence at a time, the 80,000 word novel gets written. Because at the end of the day you need to . . .

Play the cards youā€™re dealt. (Randy Pausch) Instead of curling up in a ball upon learning he had pancreatic cancer and only six months to live, the Carnegie Mellon University computer science professor gave a lecture series entitled the ā€œThe Last Lecture: Really Achieving Childhood Dreams.ā€ His talk became a YouTubeĀ sensation and led to a book deal creating a beautiful and financial legacy for his family. Play the hand your dealt, otherwise the only choice is to fold. And then thereā€™s no chance of winning. But even so . . .

Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you. (Ralph Waldo Emerson) My dad used to say this all the timeā€”whether we were celebrating a big win or bemoaning a crushing loss. I found myself telling my son the same thing, after his high school teamā€™s spectacular defeat in the first round of the PIAA State Lacrosse Tournament. They were winning 7-0 late in the third quarter when the bear began to feast. Our opponent scored 8 straight goals to win the game and knocked us out of states. And while the loss was painful to witness, and it left some of our strong sons in tears, I know our boys are beginning to learn that . . .

This too shall pass. (King Solomon) The bad stuff always gets better if you just give it a little time. Things usually look brighter in the morning. Thereā€™ll be another chance to make things right. Thereā€™s next season. And thatā€™s why itā€™s best to . . .

Be kinder than necessary. (Suzie Christieā€”my mom) You never know what someone is going through. A ā€œgood gameā€ after a humiliating loss or a word of kindness might be the nudge a person needs to make it through a tough time. My mother is also famous for saying, ā€œNever miss an opportunity to give a complimentā€ and she invented The Compliment Game. Itā€™s important to be kind first, not only with our co-workers and friends, but also, even more importantly, with our children, because . . .

The days are long, but the years are short. (Gretchen Rubin) All this hyper-focused, time-consuming parenting eventually ends. I stand on the precipice of a new world. My son will graduate next spring and while this is a bittersweet time, Iā€™ve noticed a flicker of excitement in my gut, for both of usā€”weā€™re both about to face new adventures. The return-to-me-phase descending, which makes me know that I need to . . .

Enjoy life. This is not a dress rehearsal. This has become more evident as Iā€™ve contemplated what I want the second half of my life to look like, to consider what my ā€œwork here on earthā€ is supposed to be. Iā€™m trying to get in the game more, stand on the sidelines less. I tell my kids to leave it all on the field, to give it their all. Iā€™m trying to do it, too. With my launch book I donā€™t want to look back and say I wish Iā€™d done this or that. So you might see me acting a little crazy! Because I will . . .

Never give in! (Winston Churchill) And I hope you wonā€™t either. Discover your passion. Your meaning. Your reason for being here, and LIVE IT! You might find yourself my seat mate, pulling into the NYC Port Authority, chasing a dream! All I can say is, ā€œLetā€™s roll!ā€

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My greatest beauty secret is being happy with myself. I don’t use special creams or treatments – I’ll use a little bit of everything. It’s a mistake to think you are what you put on yourself. I believe that a lot of how you look is to do with how you feel about yourself and your life. Happiness is the greatest beauty secret.

ā€”Tina Turner

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I found this Grilled Steak Salad With Asian Dressing on AllRecipes.com. It looks fabulous. Click here for the recipe.

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Updated Post Script:
My novel, What The Valley Knows,Ā is available now! Woohoo! Find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Black Rose Writing! I’m super excited because my book just won YA National Indie Excellence Awards!

xoxo, Heather

Ā 

“This sensational novel is a moving, poignant story.”Ā 

 

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