No one could say that Dolly Parton isn’t an original. She is uniquely talented and gifted in many ways. Early on, she figured out what she wanted her look and her personality to be – big hair, big bosom, big nails, big heart. She’s never swerved from that. She’s well into her sixties and is proud of who she is because she was smart enough to find her path at a young age and stick to it.
Not all of us are so lucky. Figuring out who we are is actually harder than it might appear to be. So many people have expectations of us – friends, family, colleagues, strangers. Most of the time, how we see ourselves is completely different than how others see us.
When creating book characters, it’s fun for authors to play around with this idea. A book heroine might see the hero as big and scary even if he is sexy. His sisters will see him as their sweet baby brother or a big old teddy bear. It’s all about perception.
Who says we can’t change the way we are or the way people see us, recreating ourselves just like an author creates characters? How many times have we heard someone say they hit rock bottom and were so low, depressed, and discouraged that they had nowhere to go except up? Then, they went on to become exercise gurus, famous chefs, entrepreneurs, or just better people. I know this sounds a little preachy, but even at a late age, we can discover who we’re meant to be. I’ve decided I want to be a master gardener. So far, I’m really good at pulling weeds, but it’s a start.
How about you? What would you like to recreate about yourself?
Patricia Forsythe is the author of many romances, both traditionally and electronically published. Her next book will be Her Lone Cowboy, a Harlequin Heartwarming novel available in June 2015. Visit her at patriciaforsythebooks.com.
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A lovely post, Patricia! One of my favorite quotes is, "It is never too late to be what you might have been" - George Eliot. I think life is a great adventure of discovery as we learn more and more about who we are "meant to be." And it is never too late to make changes that draw us closer to becoming that person.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes with your master gardener goal. If you need to practice pulling weeds, I've got plenty to share! ;)
Great thoughts, Patricia. My problem is wanting to be all kinds of things. I'd love to be a master gardener, too, but I never did anything to achieve that goal. I guess I as meant to be a writer because I worked and worked toward that goal.
ReplyDeleteI keep trying that every day. Another good quote: "Be the change you want to see in the world."
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