I once saw a tv show about a young princess and a soothsayer. The soothsayer explained that with each life decision, we are pulling a thread and getting everything that comes with it. The unpicked threads—all those possibilities that will never be realized, children who will never be born and loves she will never know, just fall away and disappear.

In 1979 as a high school senior, I pulled the life thread my father wanted for me. I wanted to major in English and be a writer. But my Dad insisted I pick something “marketable” or don’t bother; so for a while, I didn’t bother. He was a child of the Great Depression and I was a bratty baby boomer.

Until he showed up at my place with literature about UT’s School of Communications with majors in Journalism, PR, and Advertising. It was as close to Liberal Arts as I could get while keeping my hands in his deep pockets. My dad was a wise man in a lot of ways. I served 27 years writing for the government. As a Public Affairs Specialist, I was able to hone my skills as a non-fiction writer and editor and meet some amazing people. So, I’m glad I pulled that thread, even though I’ve often dreamt of the freedom that comes from creative writing and wondered “what if I’d pulled the thread I really wanted?”

So, here I am, 60 something years old, retired in Hawaii, wondering if I can find that thread my younger self threw away; and also wondering if it is even MY thread anymore? Many of us Baby Boomer women, born between 1946 and 1964, are now at a coveted place in our lives. We have the resources and quiet time to actually think and pick up those threads we had to discard years ago.

My new adventure has led me back to college for a B.A. in Creative Writing before continuing to graduate school. (After being out of school for so long, I wasn’t confident enough to jump straight into a grad program after retiring. I’m writing short stories, essays and poems, many of which seem to go off on a path of their own, taking my dysfunctional family luggage along with them. I should make an advanced apology to my readers; but for now, I’m following the old sage advice for writers and writing what I know.