My Life Story in Five-ish Minutes

Ever set a timer and tried to tell your life story in five minutes (talking or writing)? I just did. Here’s what resulted:

I grew up in Wisconsin, a middle child and not a youngest child because my dad had a failed vasectomy — awkward but true family story. I went to Catholic grade school, which was a huge source of anxiety – because I was terrified of being bad. I was a people pleaser and a rule follower, which meant I was good at doing the right thing for alllll the wrong reasons. I chose a college on a whim, and because I felt like my parents were getting sick of my indecision. Looking back, of course I was indecisive! I was 16 when I was trying to make a decision that would affect my life’s trajectory.

I was 17 when I attended school, getting a biology degree I neither enjoyed or wanted by the time I was 20. But my parents were happy! Three weeks before graduation, I admitted I didn’t want to apply to medical school. I took a year-ish off, moved home (because what better place to figure yourself out than the same place you launched into a bunch of other ill-advised decisions?).

I left to become a ski bum in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Finally, a decision I made on my own. A few years down the road, I got a master’s degree in journalism. I was happy. The job market was terrible, so the first place that hired me ended up keeping me for over a decade, during which I got married, bought a house, and had two babies. The job made me as miserable as college had, but my own happiness and fulfillment again took a backseat to everyone else’s needs and desires.

That all changed a couple years ago. I’d had it. The pandemic, the fatigue, the changes, the remote work possibilities. I was finally sliding into the front seat of my life. I quit my job. I’m growing a freelance writing business. I’m doing the things. I’m not happy all the time, but I’m happy a lot of the time. And I'm definitely making the right decisions for the right reasons.