The “Write” Stuff

That little piece, written in January 1998, would ultimately cause me to change paths with reverberations even into retirement.

Not only did I learn how great an outlet writing could be, but the response I received when the article was published really touched me. Friends, family, neighbors, even strangers reached out.

Shortly afterwards, I started thinking about going back to school.

A friend connected me with a professor at the University of Central Florida (UCF). After reading some of my writing, he asked, “Why do you want to come back to school?”

“Because I want to be a writer,” I told him.

“But you’re already a writer,” he said.

It’s amazing how those simple words affected me. It’s not like he said I was a good writer. And, he actually even added, “I’d stay away from poetry.”

But I took it and ran. It was as though I was waiting for any nugget of encouragement.

By the end of the year, I was enrolled as a full-time student in English at UCF.

At my “retirement” party from the Kennedy Space Center, the cake read: “You’re Doing the Write Thing!”

They were right. Although it was not the most financially sound decision I could have made, I have never regretted it.

And, I learned to always be generous with those nuggets of encouragement.