When Lee Ann Womack won Female Vocalist of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards, it was a dream come true. Literally. Lee Ann used to watch the awards show as a child and dream of winning the coveted trophy. She worked hard, with single-minded conviction, until she actually did it. She was named the top female singer in country music in 2001.
But Lee Ann said that after the euphoria died down, she was left with a big question. What next? What do you do when you achieve what you’ve worked for for so long? Well, I am about to find out!
No, I’m not up for an award. And probably never will be. But I am about to release my debut novel to the world. Of course, my dream doesn’t center around one book. I hope to write many more. But here at the top of a hill I’ve been climbing for several years, I find myself contemplating the path behind me. It extends all the way back to childhood when I read books that transported me to other places and times. That’s when I told myself I could do that too. The adult me took a long time to get around to it, and I can tell you that path has been long and steep and even torturous at times. But hey, young Jenny. Look at the hill we have climbed.
There’s lots more to do. I’m self-published, so stuff like covers and formatting and marketing and websites is all in my hands. And of course, it’s time to start on the next book. It’s just that, right now, I want to acknowledge that I did it. Whether it sells or not, I have fulfilled a childhood dream.
And folks, I can tell you. It feels good.
I hope you remember your dreams. I hope you can do something that helps you accomplish them in some way. Maybe you can’t become an astronaut, but you can still explore the stars by studying about them. Maybe you can’t be a superstar, but you can still sing or act or paint or pick out a tune on a guitar.
What hill did you want to climb as a child? Have you tried climbing it lately?
Jennifer, Thank you so much for allowing us a peak inside your story. I am about to be 45 years old, and have no idea what my dreams were… But I have a 7th grade daughter who writes online in the form of fan fiction, and I want to be able to encourage her as much as possible. Being from Clarksville, TN (just up the road a bit from Nashville), I feel a connection with you and cannot wait to read the novella. Thank you again! – Melissa G.
Greetings from right down the road, Melissa. I understand that not everyone has big, obvious goals. I also think we have to be realistic. A childhood dream to become a ballerina is probably going to be hard to achieve at 50! It could also be true that what we dreamed of as kids may just not hold much interest for us as adults. But… I do encourage everyone to explore. I think we should do something that’s not tied to our “survival”, i.e. work, keeping house, raising family. I think we should explore things that are unique to us, that use our special collection of experience and skills and talents and interests. Whether it’s making ornaments out of pine cones or blogging or starting a mission project for veterans. Something that is deeply personal and yet connects us not just to others, but to our Creator. It took me a very long time to get to that, but I find that’s what writing does for me. Sounds like your daughter has the writing bug! That’s great that she’s already writing for herself. As proud as I am that I finally have a book, I can’t say I have a lot of experience to offer her. But, if she has any questions or just wants to chat, she can email me at jenniferandersonauthor@gmail.com. You too! I have an idea for a book called “Move The Starting Line”. — We can’t go back and start at the beginning. But we can start where we are. Thanks for sharing your story, Melissa. And for downloading Micah’s Story. I hope you enjoy it!