Living the Dream... No, Really This Time

All I’ve ever wanted to do is write.

Well, that’s not completely true. When I was four, I wanted to be a scarecrow or a Solid Gold dancer but my inability to sit still for long enough trashed one of those dreams, and the other faded away as I got older and my lack of rhythm became more apparent.

But, have you ever felt -in your bones- that you were meant to do something? Whatever that something is, it’s specific to you, and your body and brain just kind of resonate like a recently clanged bell while you’re thinking about it? The idea of doing that thing for a living -and doing NOTHING else as a main job or a side job- makes you so completely ecstatic you can barely focus on the (probably menial) task at hand because you’re daydreaming so hard?

Writing. It’s writing for me. I have a degree in English Language and Literature, I thrive on word games, I’ve written poetry, short stories, plays, songs, novels, horror, romance, magazine articles, you name it… and yet, my entire life, I’ve had ‘the real job’ that paid the bills. I’ve done fast food, retail, office work, freelance educational positions, non-profit start-ups, editingEDITINGohmyGOSHsomuchEDITINGforSOMANYTHINGS but never. Just. Writing.

It’s time.

Which is why you'll start finding me on Substack.

Wait a minute, did you just quit your ‘real job’?

Yes. I did. I did that. Why did I do that? (Why DID I do that!? OH MY GOSH… wait, no, don’t panic. Breathe. Talk to the nice people, Stephanie.) I did that because this is my calling. I believe very strongly that we were all created for a purpose and it’s become clearer in the last few months than any other voice I’ve ever heard: “You need to put your full efforts into this if you’re ever going to fulfill the purposes I have for you.”

Jeremiah 29:11 is my favorite verse in the entire bible. Yes, I’ve read it all, several times in several translations, and no this new Substack will NOT be shoving any of it down your throat. The introductory post (basically this one you're reading now, but with a few tweaks) is about me, and I believe, so I’m sharing this with you and you can take it or leave it, no strings attached. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.”

I have always hoped that this would be my future. So here I am, throwing myself wholeheartedly into it right on day 1.

I want us to surround ourselves, each other, and the kids in our lives with Love, Kindness, Acceptance, and Inclusion.

My Substack is a safe space. You may already have preconceived notions about me based on the previous paragraph (if you’ve even continued reading this far) but they’re most likely not true. I’m going to be completely honest with you about who I am and you can make decisions on whether or not you want to be a part of this community with me. I’m a pro-choice, pro-LGBTQIA+, pro-Jesus, pro-vaccine, pro-diversity, pro-education, pro-science, anti-ICE, anti-Nazi, anti-jerks kind of girl. You might think some of those things don’t fit together. Well, they do. We all do. I’m so exhausted watching this country hold each other at arm’s (or gun’s) length when we don’t agree on something, whether it’s tiny or gigantic.

You don’t have to agree with people to love them.

You don’t have to like people to be kind to them.

You don’t have to give someone your blessing to accept them as they are.

You don’t have to make them check all your boxes to include someone.

Are these concepts simple? Yes. Are they easy? No.

But that’s the community I want to see there. I don’t care what your political views are. I don’t care what your religious views are. I don’t care what color your skin is or who you crawl into bed next to. I don’t care what your pronouns are or what restroom you use. I don’t care whether you rub toothpaste on your face to get rid of acne or if you have gotten every vaccine known to humanity. What I care about is:

Love. Kindness. Acceptance. Inclusion.

That’s what I’ll be writing about, what my children’s books are about, what you can expect to talk about, and what you’ll (hopefully) be paying for each month as I post on Substack at least once a week.

Pretty please.

What kind of world do you want to live in?

If it resembles the one I’m describing, then CLICK ON THIS LINK to hit that subscribe button and drop $8 a month (what’s that, a coffee and a half?) so we can rebuild this world together.