A Dream and a Bit of Luck

When I was little, my dad used to write children’s stories about me and my older sister, Abby. They were incredibly clever, funny, and unlike all other children’s books, there was no poignant moral at the end. The point was to make us laugh, which they always did and still do.

Two of my favorites are Doctor Tess and Abby & Tess Get Lost in Dundalk. Doctor Tess was about me and my Fisher Price Doctor’s Kit from the 80’s. Abby & Tess Get Lost in Dundalk is about a kite flying experience gone wrong. When the wind picks up, our kite flies Abby and I to Dundalk where we try to figure out how to get home. Hijinks ensue. We loved it!

My Doctor's Kit. From the Fisher Price Vintage Pintrest Page. 

We thought our dad was the coolest for writing such amazing pieces of literature. And so, at the age of five, I decided I wanted to be like my dad and write stories. I told anyone who would listen, “I’m going to be a famous writer when I grow up!” I even had my Kindergarten best friend lined up to be my illustrator. I was committed.

I wrote about anything and everything. But given how young I was the stories were about 5 sentences long. And frankly, not very good. I was working to perfect my craft.

One story in particular has lived on through Barnett Family lore. It was called The Beach and it was based on true events - my first Non-Fiction! We had gone to Dewey Beach for our annual week vacation. We arrived a few days after a hurricane had done a good bit of damage to the area and I can still remember walking along the sand looking at torn up houses. Miraculously, the condo my parents had rented was unscathed. The inside, however, was another story. After the previous renters had left, the cleaning company had not come to prepare for our arrival. It was a mess. Left overs were still in the fridge, the bathroom was not cleaned...it was pretty bad. My mom was devastated. She looked forward to vacation specifically because she did not have to clean.

So, when we got home, I wrote the story of our trip and the first sentence was:

When we get thar it was dratty.

Translation to English: When we got there it was dirty. 

I don’t believe my family has used the word “dirty” in the 25 years since...we now only say “dratty.” Evidently, all the Phonics I was learning had not sunk in, yet. And this is a terrible opening line!

It was somewhere around this time I realized I didn’t have the chops to be a writer. I let go of that dream and decided I would be a teacher instead. Then I decided I was going to be a nurse, then a florist, then a Physical Therapy Assistant, then a teacher (again), then I was going to open a bakery, then I wanted to be a Health Care Administrator.

Then, at the age of 29, I got a job in marketing. To be honest, it was simply a lucky break. I knew someone who knew the hiring manager. I had nearly no experience in the field, they took a gamble and hired me. It’s been a really fun three years and I think I found my professional calling. Interestingly, I spend most of my time writing. I write a bi-monthly article for a local magazine to help advertise and I write and edit all of our promotional material.

I suppose the moral of this story is that even if you let go of your dream, it still might come true! The other moral is to look over your work at least once in hopes of catching errors like, “dratty.”

The Barnett Family, the renowned author front & center.