Illustrations

A few years ago, a Michigan woman decided to uproot her life and start a new chapter in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.

It began quickly: she got a one-way ticket, said goodbye to friends and family, and headed off on a grand adventure. Gumption is a quality she had to muster up. She also relied on her brain and her best friend, Evan. The Michigan woman didn’t have much in her suitcase. The adventure only required the clothing on her back, cowgirl boots, and a few hand-written journals.

When people asked her, “how does one become a great writer?” she always responded, “by writing and reading.” There was only one idea she omitted. The Michigan woman believed one must also lead an interesting life. Imagination can only be part of the story if one hopes to create compelling tales and lessons worth sharing with the world. A life worth reading must be one worth living! And adventure novels don’t have to be fiction. At least not this one.

The mission was simple: hike the mountains, learn to rock climb, bike under the stars, and fall in love. She hoped to live every day greeting the sun while always remembering that each sunrise could be her last. She believed risks are worth taking – so long as the journey does not end like a horror novel or a tragedy. Shakespeare’s tragedies are powerful, but nobody needs to feel the sting of death when reading one of her stories. No, she was not out to create a story like King Lear, but instead one of inspiration, or at least one reminiscent of Much Ado About Nothing.

So, she asked herself each morning to read, write, and create. She taught kids from gangs in Los Angeles about horses and hula hoops, edited science books, sang songs about mermaids, and helped to ban the plastic bag in the state of California. Which of her stories would inspire others? What adventure tale could transpose a monotonous, rigid, stagnant life to instead become an expansive, riveting, powerful narrative? Only time will tell.

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