A great surgeon once told me, “When I get the chance to talk to young people, I never miss the opportunity to talk about their future. I have two questions I like to ask them and most of the time, not one of them can answer, and they become intimidated by the questions. The questions I would like to ask you are do you know what you’re calling is and what do you plan to do with it?”
I had those two answers decided when I wrote my first short story in second grade. Without hesitating and despite the state of my health, I looked him in the eye and told him, “My calling is to write and by writing I plan to make a difference.” At first he said nothing; he just looked at me with a smile that let me know he knew exactly what I meant. We weren’t talking about a career and we both knew it; we were talking about a passion. We talked some more about “passion” and “callings” and when I left his office I was more sure than ever in my entire life that writing was my future; my way of making a difference.
I know a lot of people would ask, “How can writing stories make a difference in someone’s life?” In which I would like to ask in return, “Have you ever read something that inspired you to attempt something great?” Reading can be a great inspiration. I can’t tell you how many books or poems or mere quotes have inspired me to pursue certain actions. But even deeper than the gift of inspiration; I write because I want to touch people—I want to touch people in a place that cannot be physically touched. I want to give people that feeling where you can’t place exactly where it is; but you feel it. That feeling that not only touches you heart but your entire inside. That feeling that warms your heart and rises to your throat, making you pause and take in a deep breath. That feeling that relaxes your entire body and makes you want to stretch out on your bed and think just for the sake of bliss. In that feeling, I have never felt more peaceful, because just in that moment, everything in life seems okay—everything seems grand. That one moment, can make all the difference in someone’s life. That moment is a time to forget—to forget the struggles and responsibilities in life; to forget our pain and worry. I believe it would be the greatest honor to give this moment to anyone searching for it, or perhaps just searching to feel something. I want to touch the lives of millions, and with my calling to write—that’s just what I plan to do.
