Changing Direction WC 209

A middle-aged woman thinks about her life's path as she walks along a trail.

Changing Direction

Brow furrowed, walking poles in hand, I trudge along the trail, ruminating on the path my life has taken. Has this been my choice, or decided for me by …by who? …whom? Anyway …

I have always wanted to write a book, the greatest novel ever written. I have tried so many times, always getting to chapter two or three before fizzling out. Instead, I give up and find myself a mediocre job in the publishing industry.

Right church, wrong pew. Story of my life. Every. single. time.

The sun is disappearing behind an ominous black cloud, and my new running shoes are rubbing my heels raw because I’m not wearing socks.

I need to head back home to safety. My go-to position is always playing it safe, so I stop and turn around.

That’s when an idea for a novel hits me between the eyes: A middle-aged woman, walking poles in hand, makes a bold decision that will change the course of her life. Instead of turning around and heading to safety because her feet are bleeding, and a wicked wind is trying to tip her over, she continues along the trail, heading into the unknown, never to return to her mundane life.

I find myself turning around.

WC 209