Hemmingway and Me

Below is a part of an essay I wrote a few years ago for a writing class.  Although it’s been in my archives for years, I think it signifies life’s journey: not only for me, but also for all.  Enjoy!

                                                                                                                      July 19, 2008

Dear Diary,

        Today is a day I think I will remember for the rest of my life.  Imagine me—a published poet!  It’s a great milestone for my 27^th year.  It’s hard to believe my thoughts and emotions are packaged with those of other poets in a book for the entire world to see.  It’s hard to wrap my mind around the magnitude of it all—and to think the poem was borne out of my spirit’s despair!

        I vividly recall how the poem first took seed in my mind.  About a month or two ago, I was feeling really low about my life, and about how it seemed I had made little progress.  The pace of my journey seemed so slow.  I pondered my fate as a writer, a college student, and as a human being in general.  “Where will this journey ultimately end up,” I asked myself.  I wondered if my trials and hard work would count for nothing and lead nowhere.

        Then, I began to remind myself of how very far I had come, just in the past two years.  Why was I in such of a hurry trying to accomplish my goals in such a short period of time?  I still have time. I have the rest of my life!

        Right now, the last stanza of my newly published poem echoes in my mind:

Hemmingway failed in

Life’s adventure.

Not Me.

Never me.

It was another awakening—just the beginning.  This summer has added another layer to my spirit.   I guess I’m ready and eager for life’s next adventure—no matter what it may hold and where it leads.