The other day, I got a message from a young woman who’d just finished her sophomore year of college. She said she’d found my book on her mom’s bookshelf and had read the final pages while riding in the back of a rental car on her way to New York City for a summer internship.
“It’s my first summer away from home,” she wrote, “and a huge chapter of my life is closing.”
She said my story about leaving television news resonated with her because she grew up on stage with a lot of eyes on her. “My entire life leading up to this point has been about constantly chasing more and trying to prove myself,” she said.
She explained that the constant state of striving had put a strain on her mental health at times, but here’s the wisdom she shared that took my breath away:
“Recently, I’ve been really focused on learning to be content in life. I’m learning to actually LIVE instead of treating myself as a never-ending self-improvement project.”
I could almost hear the exhale, feel the relief in her words.
Her message reminded me that living our lives isn’t a project. It’s not something we have to earn. Living is something we get to experience and feel.
This past week, here’s what living has looked like for me:
• pausing in the middle of the week to celebrate my 26th wedding anniversary
• staying up too late to root for the Knicks with my husband and sons
• binge-watching Love Island with my daughter
• wielding electric hedge clippers while standing on a ladder (which may have appeared to my neighbors like I was trying to die, but I felt energized and delighted by my new adventures in adulting and home management)
• reaching out to someone I was nervous to ask to be on my podcast (and getting a yes)
• voting
What I loved and appreciated about the young woman’s message is that she saw herself in my story; that it found her at the right time. She’s stepping into a new chapter feeling awake to the experience, whatever it may bring.
And it reminded me that living is always available to us, in the new chapters and seasons, and in the everyday moments too. We only have to participate.
In what ways have you lived this week?
Girl in the Spotlight is my coming-of-age memoir about my rising career in television news and what happened when I began to uncover the real things I ached for in life. If you know someone who might connect with that story, I’d be grateful if you shared it with them.
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