I’m sure we can all think back and find pivotal moments in our lives—ones that greatly influenced the direction we chose. A silly little karaoke machine my younger sister was given as a gift opened up a world of imagination for me. Using my voice I made up characters and songs, acting out the part of radio DJ and celebrities. Even after all these years those recordings are still super embarrassing to me—and forever will be since my mother kept that tape from being destroyed—but I have to admit making that tape was part of the reason my mom helped me get involved with community theater.

Fast forward several decades later and here I am struggling in the writing world. Though acting and writing are both creative outlets that lean heavily on the imagination, at twenty years old, I never would have thought I’d leave the stage behind. Yet, a young man came into my life who somehow managed to squeeze himself past my initial priorities of acting forever. Some might see this as sad, because staying with him meant the end of those acting dreams, but throughout the years he’s given me so much more. He’s the direct catalyst behind my reason for writing. He challenges me every day to discover something more about myself. I’ll be forever grateful for his pivotal appearance in my life.