Can You Choose Your Own Path?

As a follow-up to yesterday’s post and in response to a thought-provoking comment from a fellow blogger, I thought I would continue to discuss the path of enlightenment.  What do I think my path is?  I’m still trying to figure that out, but I know for certain that it requires divergence from my current path.  I like to think that I have the strength and courage to build the path in front of me, to open doors I build, and pursue the unknown.

I haven’ t always had that courage.  In fact, I’ve stood before opportunities too afraid to take them, too afraid to even move.  And so there I stayed, on a circular leg of my path, even though I knew where I was heading was detrimental to my mental health and physical well-being.  Eventually I found the strength to make changes with the help and unconditional support of a few wonderful friends.

I now have a fantastic support system in my husband (and dog) and am looking forward to our journey together.  I hope that someday soon the pitter-patter of little feet will join us on our path.  But that part of my life is only part of my path.  What about the rest of who I am?  What about what I do to help support my family?

As I’ve mentioned before, I am not satisfied with my career choice.  I realized about a year or so ago that things were not going to change unless and until I created new opportunities for myself.  The first step was to figure out what I wanted to do.  After all, how can you change  your path without knowing the general direction that you want to go in?  I thought about what aspects of being a lawyer are most unsatisfying to me.  I thought about what I wanted from the perfect career.

And what I came up with is writing and photography.  The two really do go hand in hand.  What is photography but telling a story with pictures instead of words?  I have always loved writing and reading.  I have thought about being a writer many times.  I could write novels, I could write textbooks, I could write any number of things.  (That’s not to say they would be published! – I recognize the distinction.)  I finally decided that if my ideal career involved writing, that’s what I should do.  All writing requires is a pen, paper, and ideas.  (Luckily I also have a computer and the internet).

Photography has taken more time to evolve.  First, being a photographer requires more tools than being a writer, and it is expensive to obtain those tools.  But thanks to my generous husband, I received the camera I needed to start learning and building a portfolio.

So, I keep writing and I keep taking pictures, and I plan to pave the next portion of my path with both.  I plan to make opportunities for myself because such a drastic change does not come about by sitting and waiting.  I expect that it will be hard.  I expect obstacles and challenges.  But I don’t plan on giving up.  I know that there is a path out there that will lead me to a satisfying life.  A path that, when I look back over it at the end of the journey, makes me feel proud and happy.  And it’s my job to uncover it.