Seeing doctors going about their duties intrigued me as a young girl. I avidly recall dreaming about owning a medical facility of my own and being a medical practitioner.
The idea of writing was out of the question. The only other two things I loved were public speaking and music.
Clutching my ordinary level result slip in my hands, a smile broadened on my face as I realized that I was taking the first steps towards realizing my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor.
As my excitement continued to brew, my dream suffered its first snag.
Fellow students who I looked up to as gurus in science subjects failed their public examinations and I got a rude awakening, and it dawned on me that I may not be as good as I thought I was.
Without giving it further thought, I took up arts subjects at advanced level and that’s where my peers discovered the writer in me. I often dismissed their comments as far-fetched statements meant to flatter me until some of my teachers began using my assignment scripts as samples of good writing, and my fellow students began bringing their seminar speeches to me for editing.
Despite this new-found passion, I still pursued public speaking and music.
My life soon took a miserable turn. In the final semester of my 4th year at Solusi University, I got sick and was bedridden for a long time. I suffered from a combination of migraines, high blood pressure and anemia. Countless doctors declared that my situation had spiralled out of control, said I didn’t have much time on this side of heaven, and sent me home.
Buoyed by the need to put my emotions on paper, I asked for pen and paper. But when they arrived, I was overwhelmed by emotion and cried.
After being chided by a friend to stop complaining about how deplorable my situation had become and to pull myself together, I decided it was time to put ink on paper.
The old adage – the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step – is the most apt reflection of how one determined act propelled me to where I am today. As I poured my heart out on that piece of paper, my tears dried. The bruised, battered and broken heart within me began to mend with each sentence I constructed. The more I wrote, the more I felt I could be an inspiration to someone in my predicament. And that was how my writing journey began.
Since then, I’ve become unstoppable. I have authored a book, “Not How But Who!”, co-authored a poetry anthology called “Women Exceed: Poetry Anthology Series Book 1″, and I’m co-authoring a motivational book series on women’s empowerment, “Paida and Patie”. I’m also working on another book.
You may be trying to figure out your way after stumbling onto a path you never expected to discover. If you have, go for it! Sooner or later you will find yourself. Embrace that passion and let it be your source of strength, and a source of strength to others.
