Student Questions - Answered

If you were not an author, what would you be?
When I was 10, my list of possible professions looked like this:
-writer
-actress
-horse breeder/trainer
-world traveller (I know that's not a job, but I wanted to do a lot of travelling)
-veterinarian
-homesteader

In high school, my list of possible professions looked like this:
-actress or stand-up comic
-veterinarian
-doctor
-psychiatrist
-writer/playwright
-horse breeder/trainer
-homesteader






At univeristy, my list of possible professions looked like this:
-brain surgeon (specialty - surgical interventions for dementia and studying neurological disorders that affect personality)
-veterinarian
-writer/novelist
-doctor of Eastern medicine
-organic farmer

After graduation, my list of possible professions looked like this:

-writer/non-fiction/novelist
-organic farmer
-actress/storyteller/performer
-accountant

Today, I'm very happy to say that I have managed to integrate a lot of my earlier interests into my working life (except for accounting. That was a strange phase and not one I particularly enjoyed). I split my time between writing, performing, and farming. I am still very interested in healing/medicine, particularly in combining the best of western medicine with healing traditions from cultures around the world. Because I raise livestock on my farm (turkeys, chickens, ducks, horses, goats, sheep, and Large Black Hogs), I wind up doing vet stuff on a pretty regular basis, even though I never made it to vet school! A lot of my early interests also involved being self-sufficient, living off the grid, and having a homestead somewhere in a wild place in Canada.

I'm not farming on a quarter section of land that first had to cleared so I could build myself a cozy cabin, but I am doing quite a few home-steady things - milking a goat and making cheese, growing more and more of my own food, building lots of things to be used on the farm, and canning and drying the food I grow. With the help of some herbalist neighbours, I've also been experimenting with growing herbs that can be used in cooking and which also have medicinal properties. I also do a bit of yoga and meditate regularly, so in a small way I'm also continuing to explore my interest in natural healing alternatives.

When I think about it, even though I work a lot of hours every week doing all the different things I do, I love my life. In many ways I am living my dream life and that's pretty cool!