#ChildhoodShelfie: A Poignant Realization Told In Hashtags

Are you one of those people who’s known since childhood that you wanted to grow up and be  {Insert Cool Profession Here} ?

Nah, me neither.

Some people have a life path as focused as a laser-beam. They feel a calling in their gut and aim straight at the bullseye of their choosing. (And that’s great!) But my path has been a little more winding, with a few more pit-stops and route recalculations. (And that’s great, too!)

Professional Singer-Dancer-Violinist. Basketball Superstar. Sports Broadcaster. High School English Teacher. Elementary School Teacher. Interior Designer. Independent School Administrator. Kid-Lit Author. The list of things I’ve wanted to be when I grow up has morphed and changed along with its navigator. (I like to think of it as taking the scenic route!)

Recently, during a visit home to my dear Pennsylvania countryside, I visited the bookcase in my childhood bedroom. Each shelf contained beloved stories, treasured photos and favorite mementos. (Yes, that’s a steel drum in the corner and, yes, I can play excerpts of Under The Sea!)

As I jumped from shelf to shelf, a theme started to emerge … a theme that I hadn’t really noticed until now … a theme that made it quite clear that perhaps, just maybe, there has been a compass guiding me the whole way after all.

The following is my poignant realization…told in hashtags. Do you see what I see?

1. Beloved Childhood Stories

#FairyTalesForAllAges 

#CovetedCovers

#KnowThemByHeart

2. From The Mouths of Babes

#ILikeToReadBecauseItIsFun

#WordNerdSinceFourthGrade

#Wait…FractionsAreFun?

3. Literary Mash Up

#Pride&PrejudiceMeetsPenderwicks

#GrammarBooksAreCool

#KitLitAuthorsCanReadAnything

4. You’re Never Too Old For Picture Books

#FancyNancyIsMyGirl

#BearAndMrsDuckSince1986

#MakeRoomDickens

5. Testing The Waters

#CollegeWritingProjects

#GreatTitleIfIDoSaySoMyself

#NowIt’sTimeForChapterTwo

It appears that these shelves, these very shelves nestled safely in the corner of my cozy childhood bedroom, have known all along what I am just now figuring out.

As I round this next bend in the road and reach for the Kid-Lit stars, I’m comforted to see that the writing’s been on the wall (and the shelves) this whole time.

Bonus Shot!

#LittleLeagueDodgers

#SeasonChamps

#StillProud