Friday Speak Out!: Never Too Late

by Jeanine DeHoney

I recently read an article about an African American actress named Dorothy Steel. She started acting at age 88 and after roles in several movies landed a role in Marvel’s mega blockbuster hit “Black Panther” as the Merchant Tribal elder at the age of 92. Yes, 92.

When reading the back story about this gemstone of a woman, who reminded me of all the beautiful strong elder woman in my own village, it was awe-inspiring. She exemplified the adage that it is never too late, to follow your dream, to do what makes your heart soar.

Each day I have to remind myself of this truth as I pursue a writing career, a dream I had since I was seven years old. It is so easy to slip into a gloomy abyss at times when you feel that it’s now or never with your writing. You may feel like I have that if that novel isn’t finished yet there is a likelihood it may never get finished. Or if you haven’t landed a feature essay in that magazine you’ve been submitting to for what seems like an eternity, that it will never happen.

It’s easy to feel on any given bad day, writing or otherwise, that you should throw in the towel because you aren’t in that imagined place you thought you would be during this phase of your life. Although the reasons why we may not be in that place are as varied as they are significant; raising children, being a caretaker of a parent, health problems, dealing with emotional lows, finances, etc., that feeling of, “My writing career will always remain lukewarm or never get off the ground,” can malign your spirit.

But oh how prejudicial and unloving we are to ourselves when we court these ideologies. We have a gift as writers and it will never be too late to use our gift and spread our words to the world. It would be a loss to all if we didn’t persevere, and share our stories, our wisdom, our humor, our passion, this much-honed gift we’ve been blessed with.

So make a pact with yourself or with someone close to you that will hold you accountable, that you’ll never ever “ever” say “It’s too late,” to pursue your dream. No matter how many other things take priority, how many obstacles you must overcome, and no matter what age you are or are approaching…live and write freely, with full on passion and expectancy. And if you need more inspiration to live and write accordingly in your creative purpose, remember actress Dorothy Steel.

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Jeanine DeHoney has had her work published on several blogs, in magazines and anthologies. Among others her writing has been published in Essence, The Children's Ark, Metro Fiction, My Brown Baby, The Write Place At the Write Time, Literary Mama, Mutha Magazine, True Stories Well Told, Parent. Co., Brain Child Magazine, Jerry Jazz Magazine, Today's Caregiver Magazine, and Rigorous Literary Magazine. She is an essayist in the anthologies "Chicken Soup for the African American Woman’s Soul,” "Here in the Middle: Stories of Love, Loss, and Connection from The Ones Sandwiched in Between," “Theories of HER-an experimental anthology, in the anthology, "In Celebration of Sisters," and in the Chicken Soup For The Soul Anthology, The Power Of Yes.
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
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8 comments Friday Speak Out, Jeanine DeHoney, Never Too Late, writer inspiration