E.S. Raye

Today is my 40th birthday, and I have some feelings about that.

Is my life what I thought it would be by the time I reached 40? In many ways, no. But at the same time, I never knew what my life would look like at this point.

Many kids know what they want to be when they grow up from an early age. I never really did. I liked LEGOs and drawing and was pretty good at math, so many well-meaning adults told me I should be an architect or engineer. And so, when I got to the age where one starts considering careers, I opted for engineering (despite the fact that I actually scored higher on the reading/writing portion of the SATs than I did on the math side).

That decision didn’t go so well for me and despite getting into one of the better engineering school the US has to offer, I had to leave after only one semester.

That put me back at square one, not knowing what to do with my life.

I don’t want this post to become my life’s story, so, suffice it to say, there were a few more twists and turns and career dead-ends before I ended up here: 40 years old and trying to make it as a writer of multimedia fiction.

I may be a little late to the game, and it has cost me some other things in life I thought I would have but now cannot. But that’s okay.

Late as I may be, I am embarking on a journey of my own making, and one many wish to try, but can’t for their own reasons. I am lucky enough to have an incredible spouse that supports my efforts and believes in my work, to have found a publisher that believes in my novel, and producers that want to help nurture my screenwriting. And through all the support, this year will see my first short story published in an anthology released next month, my debut novel published in September, and my screenwriting debut at least filmed (not sure when it will air, but likely early next year given post-production), also in September.

I’m certainly not the poster child for “It’s never too late to start” (folks living their dreams in their 50s, 60s, and beyond are much better examples). But I am definitely a devotee of that line of thinking.

I may not be as far along into this career as I would have preferred, here on my 40th birthday, but I think, after 40 years of wondering, I’ve finally found my calling. It may have taken me a while, but I’m finally on the right path. I have begun something that will grow into something bigger, and if I keep at it, something special.

I’m happy, and I know I can do this.

Here’s to another 40 years, hopefully every moment of them filled with stories to tell.