“People—particularly women—need to hear that you can start late.”
~Ursula LeGuin
My friend Hannah wrote a great post on her blog about the long-range view of being a writer, She’s wrangling several kids, the full-time job of being a pastor’s wife, and a budding writing career. So yeah, I’m sure it gets discouraging.
You can read Hannah’s post on her blog, Sometimes A Light.
“Long-Range Writing”
What really struck me was this: As Hannah notes, we glorify youth in American culture. The Silicon Valley startup culture exacerbates the need to “accomplish something” by the time you’re 30. Maybe 35. At the latest.
I’m always thankful for my husband who’s been a beacon of common sense in my life since I first met him, challenging people to let go of dumb, popular ideas in favor of better, more thoughtful approaches. I remember when we were still short of 30, he observed that most of us will hit our best stride in our 50s. By then, you’ve lived long enough to know something; you’ve gained experience that makes problem solving a little more efficient. Sure, you aren’t spry and bouncy anymore…. but that’s the point.
Our consuming culture taunts us with the New and the Now so we throw away our good-but-familiar stuff to buy new-and-somehow-“needed” stuff. We do the same with people.
We all need to hear the truth, so eloquently stated by Ursula LeGuin, that you can “start late.” It’s never too late to recognize the Big Thing That Matters, and go do it.
