I didn’t go to college to bank on the residuals.

The plan (as set by culture/expectations/my own desire to live a “good life”): gain admission to a competitive (but not too competitive!) college, graduate with new skills and insights, find employment that matches those skills (hey, what happened to the insight?), enjoy surprising success and satisfaction . . .  as a writer (easy, right?), give back.

The story beneath the story, the unsuspect-able truth? My most valued takeaway from that “competitive college” isn’t skills, or even insight, it’s community. For me, opportunity isn’t about inching closer to a big pool of cash. And it’s not just my craft (writing) that feeds me, I crave and thrive in employment that pays the heart.

My path is a curious one. It wanders.

Opportunity is that train of connection that leads to adventure. It’s one day inviting an interesting stranger to coffee, followed by a shocking connection with that endures. Five years pass and here I’m lounging in a warm Cape Cod kitchen, laughing with friends made at stops along the way.

I often view “choice” as leading directly to “result.” Thank goodness life can be so much less linear than one predicts.