I'll Never...

The thought started with the opening to a U2 song on the radio one day. Transfixed by the sheer talent of the Edge, I thought to myself, "I'll never do that." This isn't pity talk. It's just the truth. I will never stand on a stage and open a song in front of thousands of rapt fans, my fingers moving across the strings with a kind of magic and wisdom. I'm not a skilled musician.



The other day in my Bible study, we were talking about memories of favorite dresses we've owned. One woman shared a memory of making her own dress in high school, including the covered buttons, the belt, everything. She shared how in awe of her own ability she was when she finished; that she would never forget that dress. And the thought occurred again: I'll never do that. I'm not a seamstress.

I started looking around, noting the many things I'll never do.

I'll never plant a flag on the top of one of the highest peaks in the world. I'm not a mountain climber.

I'll never do an endzone dance after scoring a touchdown for my team. I'm not a football player.

I'll never paint a picture that will one day hang in a museum and be analyzed by art critics. I'm not an artiste.

I'll never grace the big screen with my stellar performance. I'm not an actress.

I'll never create code for a software program that makes people's lives easier. I'm not a techie in any way, shape or form.

I'll never reach inside a living human being and make something broken whole again. I'm not a doctor.

You get the idea. There are a lot of things I'm not and never will be. I don't have the interest, the skill, the desire to be any of those things. But man I appreciate and respect those who are. The fact is none of those things were what I was born to do. To try to be or do any of those things would be a waste of what I was put on this earth to do:

I am a mother of six. I will run my household and sign those papers and drive that carpool and bandage those knees and give out hugs and listen for hours as these lives are formed and shaped and molded.

I am a writer. I will write novels and share my stories with readers. I will go to events and speak on panels and participate in the literary world as much as possible. I will form friendships with other writers who understand this passion for writing that I possess.

I am a website owner. I will run She Reads, using that online community of women who love to read as a place to introduce readers to writers and writers to readers.

I am a blogger. Though I haven't been as good lately, I will keep sharing life with you guys, here and also at Southern Belle View.

So why did I post this? Because somewhere there is someone who is looking at the "I'll Never's" of life instead of the "I Will's." This person isn't looking at what she can do-- what she was uniquely put on this earth to do. Instead she's looking at what other people are doing and wishing she could do that (whatever that may be). Here's what I can promise you: you were born to do something. The challenge is to find it and do it with all of your heart, to not let the "I'll Nevers" distract you from the "I Wills." So I wrote this for you, whoever you may be. There are things we were never meant to do or be. But there are also things we were absolutely meant to do-- and do them with a style and passion that is all our own.