Tiffany Painter

I just spent a few days in Nashville visiting a bookstore on my list of places I want to see. This post could be about why bookstores are on this list, but instead it’s about an author event I attended. Parnassus Books, an amazing independent bookstore co-owned by the great Ann Patchett, hosted an evening with Elizabeth Strout. The award winning Strout has written several books over the years and introduced readers to quirky characters from small town, Maine. But the most interesting character that night was Strout herself. She could represent so many of us. Never quite sure she could make a life as a writer, she got a law degree, after a couple of attempts to finish law school, and briefly practiced law. Strout took a few writing courses but was told her work wasn’t good enough. In her younger days she thought the worst thing that could happen was she could end up waiting tables because her writing couldn’t support her. It was only after years of not really enjoying her job that she realized there actually could be something worse. It took years of practicing and trying and working at various jobs to pay her bills that Strout finally got her first book published. Since 2000 she has published many more with great success. Some call her an overnight sensation, but there are decades that happened before that overnight success. She had to put in the time and effort to reach her dreams. As a society we are used to success being achieved right out of the gate or never at all. We celebrate those who are great immediately and cast aside those who have to persevere. The Strouts of the world show us that we are all capable of so much more with a little patience and a lot of determination. Some dreams just come about slowly. We all need a reminder that the path might be a long windy one, but we should never stop believing in our dreams.

9/10

end of season bloom
time marks the end for a few
the start for others

9/11

notice books waiting
before heading to bookstore
to be read later

9/12

so many choices
how to pick just one
endless possibilities

9/14

my heart is fickle
madly in love every time
adore the indies

9/17

toes happy in sand
but just a block from the beach
place to please my heart

9/20

no longer needed
computers made obsolete
still enjoy seeing

9/21

interesting choice
carry-on bag limited 
hope different flight