The other day I was encouraged and discouraged to find that one of the top 10 blogs for writers is “Courage2Create,” which follows a guy’s journey in his pursuit to write a novel.  I was encouraged because it appeared to be validation that blogging about this experience is a good idea after all.  I was discouraged, however, because, well, I’m basically doing the exact same thing!  After a few minutes of trying to nitpick and disparage his apparently critically acclaimed blog, I gave up and decided to embrace the blog and turn to it for advice.  For example, yesterday, after I had a conversation with my parents about the perils of blogging (even about a novel), I searched the C2C blog for the word “parents.”  Low and behold, I found a post entitled “An Argument In Favor of Your Passion” about a man and two alternative universes: in one, the man is a rich lawyer and hates himself and in the other that man is a poor painter and…loves himself?

My take on everything in the above paragraph is this: I can do whatever I want to do, and I will! This means I will be a lawyer/writer.  Yes world, I do want to be a lawyer, ok?  I think there is power in having an expertise, knowing about contracts, and (more importantly) having other people think that you know about contracts (I’m talking to you former landlord!)  I also feel a responsibility as a privileged minority female person to, you know, try to get a seat at the table as they say.  And there are other reasons.  Does that mean that I necessarily don’t have the courage to create?  In my opinion, no it does not.  It means that I need to have the courage to create…while simultaneously having a full time job.  I need to have the courage to pursue all my passions and goals.  I don’t need to choose! I’m a woman, I can have it all!! My point is that, I don’t think that just because you’ve taken a “practical” route—and nowadays, we all know that going to law school may not even be that practical at the end of the day—that means that your passions have gone away or are completely inconsistent with that practicality.  At least it doesn’t mean that for me.  I would like to know what others think.  Adios!