Molly

The other night, I went to the Idlewild Bookstore to see Molly Wizenberg give a discussion about her new book, A Homemade Life. For those who don't know, Molly is girl with a love of both writing and food who decided five years ago to quit her PH.D. program in cultural anthropology and start a food blog called Orangette--which she starting writing just for fun but now has a major following. Due to the success of her blog, she writes a monthly column in one of my favorite magazines, Bon Appetit, and now is promoting her new book which is getting pretty good reviews. And on top of all that, she is a really good writer. Yes, she is living one version of my dream life.

I debated whether or not to go to the talk. I learned that my freelance gig ends on Friday, which automatically placed a huge weight on my shoulders (I need a job to pay the bills) and my soul (I need to find work that fulfills me)--and I wasn't sure if hearing this girl's story would inspire me or drown me in self-pity.

Things that impacted me during her talk:

Molly revealed how writing was something that was always very hard for her which surprised me. When I read her writing, her prose just oozes ease. For someone who struggles with my own writing, this comforted me a lot. She said that when it comes to writing, sometimes it is difficult because since she cares about it so much, if you fail, the heartbreak is all the worse. She said it more eloquently than that, and the way she said it nearly brought a tear in my eye. So true, so true.

Looking at the giant crowd packed into the tiny bookstore, Molly said (and I paraphrase again), "I never imagined five years ago that I would be standing here today." It made me think about how everyone has the power to completely change their life and steer it in the direction of their dreams. This girl decided five years ago that she wanted to write and she wanted to surround her life with food. Look where she is now. I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

I am glad I went.