A passage from Cut Open the Sky.
“When I was six years old, I knew I wanted to become a hairdresser. My family had no money for school, not then, nor ever. No obvious way existed for me to achieve my goal, and yet I lived through my girlhood with that goal and that dream and plan. In high school, to my surprise, a classmate told me about a vocational program run by the school district. Suddenly beauty school was free. That classmate was my guide.”
During one of our sessions together, Connie and I discussed this idea. As she spoke, several instances of people popping in to guide me during my lifetime came to mind. These guides had no idea of their impact on my life decisions. They spoke to me just when I needed their words.
I recalled filling out my application papers for college and Mrs. Rich, my high school creative writing teacher, came to mind as she suggested I major in English. I had been dithering, thinking about social work. Thank you, Mrs. Rich.
Like Connie, I urge you to think about those moments in your life when someone or some happening came along at a pivotal time and pushed you in the right direction. I found this way of thinking fascinating. Now I pay attention.
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