Amy M. Schaefer
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From the Front Porch

I am an "accidental blogger". When I launched my writing career in March of 2014, one of the things that I decided to include was my journaling, which I have always found to be a comforting and therapeutic endeavor.  It was a big risk to open myself up in such a public forum, but it has taught me that, for the most part, we share far more experiences than we think. It's comforting to know I'm not alone!  (*the "Button Text" is the link to my first novel)
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Day Eighty-eight: Baby Steps...Fearlessly

1/29/2015

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"The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." ~Ayn Rand

Today I took another "baby step" (...although it feels gargantuan) towards living a life that follows my dreams. I enrolled at South University with a plan to complete their Bachelor's of Science in Nursing as a step towards the Physicians Assistant program they also offer. I can't wait to see the turn my writing will take by stepping foot on a path that is complete uncharted territory for me, even though I did teach four years of science (...got this mental image of myself in jungle garb with a big ol' knife in my hand, chopping down stuff that is in my way). The heroine's sister in my first novel, Desperate Measures, is a nurse (...if you're reading my Abby series, you'll be meeting Andrea real soon), so this will be right on par with my writing of book #2, A Fragile Balance.

The wonderful Admissions Assistant Director sat across from me and we talked like old friends about my future. She is one of those rare souls who slipped seamlessly into my life as if I was just waiting for our paths to cross, which was extremely helpful in assuaging the little bursts of nerves that threatened to make me panic and run. When she asked me about my reason for choosing this particular program, I told her that growing up, nobody ever said to me, "You can do anything you put your mind to." Mostly those around me were just waiting for me to fail. So, when becoming a doctor crossed my mind for career options in my teens, I quickly discarded it as an unattainable dream. By the time I graduated college with honors in 2001 and became a teacher, I knew the notion of an unattainable dream was a complete lie. I spent the whole of my teaching career happily encouraging 947 students, plus my own daughters to follow whatever dream they could imagine. Some dreams seem so full of hurdles that are impossibly high it's easy to just give them up as too difficult, but if you're driven enough, determined enough, and don't let fear of climbing the big stuff stop you, no obstacle is too high. At any time in your life it is completely possible to do a course correction and point your own compass a different way. My time to do this is RIGHT NOW! Direction of my dreams....that way!

Images from: gograph.com (climbers) & republicmagazine.com (pointing finger).

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    About The Author

    I grew up in rural North Carolina. When I was only nineteen, I moved away and became a military wife. My only aspiration at that tender time in my life was to create an adult life that "fixed" all of the "injustices" of my childhood. Secretly, however, I wanted to reach for the sky! I wanted to be a writer and find ways to "save the world" (my mother used to say, "You have Save the World Syndrome".). Mostly, I wanted to matter.

    Since then, I have learned to reach well beyond what I ever dared to think was possible. I've learned not to allow fear to stop me from whatever future I want to create!

    What keeps me grounded? My Tribe! What provides the wind beneath my wings? A well of reserves filled with unstoppable passion!

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  • Amy M. Schaefer, Writer
  • Blog: From the Front Porch
  • Novels
  • Short Stories
    • Children's Books
  • About the Author
  • Contact
  • Photo & Art Gallery