Sunday, October 23, 2016

It’s Not Too Late



My husband is turning fifty in a few months, and I find myself approaching the same age in a few years. For some reason, that number makes you stop and think. Think about the things you’ve done or haven’t done in your life.

I read an article online one day that posed the question; If you could do one thing before you turned fifty, what would it be? This sparked a question I’ve internally struggled with for many years, can I complete graduate school? Unfortunately, this is a more difficult challenge than what it seems like on the surface. You see, I suffer from a language disorder. A disorder that had me labeled mentally retarded and stuck in a trailer behind the school as a child. Back then, if a person had a speech issue, or didn’t learn to read as easily as others, we were branded mentally challenged. Fast forward many years later, and a little boy is born with similar issues. My youngest son struggled to learn to read, and still has difficulty with handwriting. As a mother who’d experienced the bullying and teasing that accompanied a label I was reluctant to have him tested, but to my surprise, the testing revealed something they never discovered about me. My son is dyslexic and dysgraphic. It was a surprise to learn that I had identical tendencies. Once I discovered the world of dyslexia and learning issues, I began challenging myself to pursue the dreams I thought I’d never obtain. To my surprise, I could create stories that people actually wanted to read. :)

Still, even after my moderate success as an author, I longed to prove to myself that I could not only pass, but excel in graduate school. I’m proud to say that a few months ago I was accepted into a graduate program and I’m working on getting my Masters of Arts in English with an emphasis on creative writing. What is significant about this is that I never attended normal language arts classes in grammar, so I have a huge learning curve. My hope, is by the time I’m done with this program I’ll no longer need two editors for quality assurance purposes, and I’ll finally feel like a real author.
One more note, I completed my first class last week and I made an A. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth the sleepless nights, and an overabundance of coffee consumption. ;)


I pose the question to you, now. What is your hidden dream you always wanted to accomplish? Is there a place you’ve always wanted to travel, or a talent you have always wanted to explore?



Ciara Knight is a USA Today and Amazon Bestselling author who writes 'A Little Edge and A Lot of Heart' that spans the heat scales. Her popular sweet romance series, Sweetwater County (rated PG), takes readers into small town romance full of family trials, friendly competition, and community love. 


5 comments:

  1. Good for you, Ciara! My granddaughter is dyslexic (as was my husband's older sister, who like you not diagnosed until she was an adult).

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    1. It's amazing how often that happens, Jean. :)

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  2. Ciara, congratulations on the beginning of achieving your goal. The first step is always the biggest.

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  3. Sincere congrats for your wonderful accomplishment, Ciara!

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