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Isn't it strange how new things make us look at the world differently? When I became self-employed as a roofer, my view of what manual labor changed, and certainly, my knowledge of tax laws and social security (because self-employment required a lot of keeping records) grew by leaps and bounds.
How many times have I walked into buildings and houses and never paid attention to rooflines and roofs before that? Gazillions. But my new career changed my life forever. I never drive by houses and not look at roofs and the quality of work. It's a part of my nature now.
When I became published, I started to look at book covers with new eyes, checking out placement of names and whether they were tin-foiled or not, whether the size of the font of the name takes up the whole book, and where they were shelved. These were things I never really thought about before; all I did was write and all I really cared about was getting the story done.
The world of publishing and being published made me very aware of the money side of the book world, the good and bad, and the struggles and victories. I learned what I always read about--that the writing isn't everything and that sometimes, the circumstances out of one's control could affect one's writing and career.
How many times have I walked by authors signing books in a corner of the mall book store? Dozens. Today, when I pass a table with a lonely author sitting behind a stack of books, I always make it a point to say hi and check out his/her books. Why? Because I've been on that side and understand how it feels to sit there, all by oneself, smiling till one's face aches, with only the one or two people stopping by to ask for directions to the restroom.
How many times have I just ordered an author's book and not thought about his/her current publisher? Gazillions. Now, when I browse books, I check the publisher, the imprint, things that don't matter to most readers. I notice the changes and even if I stopped writing, it's part of my nature now.
Since late December, there's been an addition to my menagerie of mutants. I've been taking care of an orphaned squirrel, which fell off a tree and too dehydrated to climb in, and being chased by a hawk who had been feasting on her siblings. It has been an education, with a lot of prayers because I read about how hard it was to take care of a baby squirrel and the survival rate wasn't too hopeful. Thankfully, MikiSquirrel is doing well and took a liking to sitting on my shoulder and head.
How many times have I walked under trees and not noticed the rustling sounds and the nuts crunching under my feet? Gazillions. Not any more. Now I see nuts and I think of squirrel food. I actually look at the tree and catch sight of squirrels staring back, and I take note of what they were eating so I could collect some later for Miki. For some reason, she still can't crack nuts open, so I spend time cracking acorns and other nuts so she could eat them. I, who didn't even own a nutcracker ever in my old age.
These days, my friends and roofers laugh at me because I'm always scrounging around in the bushes looking for squirrel food. I'm always looking up into the sky to make sure there aren't hawks around when I put Miki outside in the tree. I've learned what Miki and squirrels do to stay alive. One day, Miki might finally decide to venture back into the trees and I'll only of pictures of me and a squirrel on my head, but you know what? I'll always be looking up into leafy canopies, listening for squirrel chatter. It's part of my nature now.
Do you have a similar story of an experience that has changed your life, that it too has become a part of you?
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