Could everyone adhere to that old cheesy saying: “follow your heart”? I don’t know. But as I reflect on the years I have known since college, over a decade, I see that I have been very lucky to be able to hear and listen to my heart. This means that I have lived an unplanned life, so far. But I am pleased with my regrets.
After Baruch college, I got an MA in English Literature; started a business and had to give it up after about eight years of hard work. It failed. I am grateful I could let go when it was time to quit. I got rejected for a PhD in creative writing and because it didn’t hurt deeply enough, I didn’t reapply. I self-published a book of poems that didn’t sell. My first serious job was as an Assistant Retail Manager at a well-known museum. But managerial work reduced me to the living dead. I quit after about six months at the position. I became a Museum Educator at another museum––my heart was set on learning about art and exhibitions––and I was happy there until I got laid off in the early days of COVID-19. But prior to the pandemic I had also started working as a Teaching Artist with a non-for-profit organization. I desired to learn to draw and paint, and for a couple of years it was fulfilling working mostly with children. In truth, I was more their student than teacher. But my heart started to murmur again.
As I write this, I am in Japan on the JET program. I yearn to become fluent in the Japanese language and learn as much of the Japanese culture as possible. I was also attracted to the program because in teaching English, I will have to learn the fundamentals of the language. I don’t know how, but I never really learned grammar.
In a nutshell, if I could pass on a piece of advice to a college student, I would say: please do not underestimate that old cheesy saying: “follow your heart.” It is a difficult, humbling call that demands sincerity and courage. It is honest in that it depicts the future as murky, but you will have regrets you can be pleased with.
頑張ってくださいね (please do your best) 。
Contact: jane.odartey@gmail.com