Tie Domi, #28. I’d never heard of him. But one 30 second YouTube
video gave me a pretty good idea of why my dad picked him for me. The video
showed him dumping a water bottle on a heckler sitting behind him while he was
in the penalty box, which quickly escalated to a full out brawl. To put it
simply, Domi was a FIGHTER. He played off and on for the Maple Leafs during his
16-year NHL career from 1989—2006. He
has more penalty minutes than any player in the history of the Maple Leafs and
is ranked third overall in penalty minutes in NHL history. Every time I put on
his jersey now, I remind myself to be a fighter.
On January 23, 2014 I celebrated the 2-year anniversary of my blog. The whole week leading up to my anniversary, I was trying to formulate what exactly to write about for such an auspicious occasion. For some reason my dad’s choice of Tie Domi as my hockey player kept popping into my head. He was a true fighter all the way through his hockey career. Looking back, I realized that I’ve been a fighter the whole way through my writing career as well.
I’ve been out of college for over five years now, and I have
yet to go a single month without paid writing work. Most days it feels like I get
paid in pennies, if at all. But when I think about the fact that I’ve never had
a shortage of work, I realize that my dream is still unfolding. Achieving the
greatness I want with my writing has been slow coming, but I’ve stayed the course.
This past year has been full of writing milestones for me, and the most
beautiful part is that I’ve had personal ties to all of them.
Last spring the editor of the Helena Vigilante asked me to
go interview Larry Kucsulain, the owner of Cutbird Skateboards. I only had to
spend about five minutes with Larry to realize that he is a truly unique soul.
Not only is he an incredibly gracious and friendly man, but he is one of the
rare people who is actually trying to make a difference in the world and change
the lives of others. He is a major proponent of skating in town and dispelling
all negative stereotypes people have about skaters. He helps kids improve their
skills, keeps them drug and violence free and sees to it that their success as skaters
transfers to their academic life as well. It was a true privilege not only to
meet and befriend Larry, but to spread the word about all of the amazing work
he is doing in the community.
Earlier this fall, I learned the heartbreaking news that
Larry was diagnosed with stage 4 of an aggressive form of brain cancer. While
immediately undergoing surgery and maintaining the most upbeat attitude
possible, the last I heard he was moved to hospice care and only given 2—4
months to live. Not a single day has passed since I first heard the news that I
haven’t prayed for him. For me, he isn’t just some skater guy that I wrote a
humble article on. He is someone who touched my soul and who I am forever bound
to by the words I strung together to share his story. Peace be with you Larry,
and never EVER give up the fight.
On April 19, 2014, I was baptized into the Catholic Church.
It was the most transformative and beautiful night of my life. I was glowing
from the inside all the way out for weeks afterwards. I was so inspired that I
was practically bursting to write about every feeling inside me. I couldn’t get
the words down on the page fast enough. As soon as I read through it the first
time, I knew my Easter blog post was one of my very favorite ones. The best part
though, was how many other people read and reacted to it. I think it meant
something to a lot of people, regardless of where their faith and beliefs lay.
A few weeks after Easter, my boyfriend of over 8 years proposed
to me. Only a week into our blissful engagement, my family received a
devastating blow. My fiancé, Andy, was diagnosed with MS. I saw the future I
had started to plan flash before my eyes….and I wondered if this was how it
would all come crashing down. But I quickly realized that God had not cast us
aside or forgotten us. We were blessed with a wonderful and compassionate team
of doctors who gave us reassurance and got Andy’s health as close to back to
normal again as possible. He has been completely unfazed since and I know all
the way through to my bones that he will triumph over his MS and it will never slow
him or us down.
Once the dust from that storm had settled, I felt a tug
inside me and knew that I needed to write about my experience….from engagement
to ER. I felt terrified and knew that it would be emotional to write, but that
was exactly why I knew I had to do it. By not writing about it, I would let
fear conquer me rather than me conquering it. The response I received from that
blog post was overwhelming. Messages started flowing in within minutes of
publishing it that offered words of encouragement and support as well as praise
for me simply having the courage to write about everything. To date, that post
has the highest readership of any posts on my blog.
This past fall, I had another article published in
Distinctly Montana Magazine. It wasn’t exactly the article I initially proposed
to them, but it still gave voice to my topic: women motocross riders. I am
certainly not the fastest or most skilled rider. I have only rode in a couple
of off-road races that I was happy just to finish. But as I’ve grown as a
rider, I’ve had the privilege of riding alongside several other girls who
aren’t afraid to get dirty and push themselves beyond what society often thinks
girls are capable of. Opening the magazine and seeing my article and byline
along with pictures of lady riders flying off jumps as well as a photo of me on
my bike, was a pretty special moment to say the least. I hope other women read
it and were inspired to try learning how to ride.
Ever since I started writing for the Independent Record six
months after graduating college, I always longed to write a feature article for
them. Unfortunately, everything I wrote was usually brief and printed in
special inserts in the paper. Thankfully, the gutsy ambition of my cousin this
past summer finally lent me the opportunity to snag my dream in glorious
fashion. Ashley, along with her boyfriend Sam made the decision one day to ride
their mountain bikes the entire length of the Continental Divide Trail—which
runs from the Canadian border to Mexico for nearly 3,000 miles! Not long after
finishing their trip, Ashley’s mom contacted me to see if I could help get an
article written about them. After hounding the IR editor for a few weeks, he
finally gave me the green light. On Thanksgiving Day I opened the newspaper to
see my article and several colorful pictures spilling over two pages in the
newspaper. Not only did I get to check another item off of my writing bucket list
but I was awarded the honor of getting to share my cousin’s incredible
accomplishment.
A few weeks ago, my writing resume was kicked up a large notch when I added SnoWest to my list of publications. After participating in a women’s snowmobile riding clinic with pro rider, Dan Adams, last February, I knew I had to write an article about it. Not only did that clinic dramatically transform my riding abilities and confidence but it opened my eyes to the serious level of commitment other girls just like me have to that sport. I asked Dan Adams if he could pass the idea along to the editor of SnoWest, which he was only too happy to do. After weeks of no responses back, I began hounding the editor and publisher myself. When they asked me exactly what I wanted to write about, I don’t think they were prepared for the passionate and well-versed response I gave back. I knew they wouldn’t be able to say no. After piecing together my memories and questioning some of the other ladies who attended the clinic with me, I had a ready to go piece. I submitted it along with several pictures and then began the anxious wait. When my January issue of SnoWest finally arrived in the mail I couldn’t flip through it fast enough until I saw my article. It was one of my proudest writing moments.
While my name has yet to grace the spine of a novel at Barns
and Nobel’s or make the New York Times Best Sellers List, I feel that my career
as a writer thus far has been a successful one. What I am most proud of at the
end of the day, however, is the fact that I’ve never given up on my dream. I've kept fighting. It
isn’t easy being a writer and, for the most part, it doesn’t pay the bills. But
the smiles and words of praise and gratitude I receive after each piece, is reward
enough.
I set a goal 2 years ago when I started this blog to make a
difference with my writing and to do something good with it. Whether it’s
telling the amazing stories of people in my community or helping open doors for
women in the activities I love, I’d say that so far I’ve met my goal and then
some.
Here’s to a third and hopefully even more glorious year of
writing about and living the dream………
No comments:
Post a Comment