You know how things happen for a reason? How something bad can end up leading to something really good? Well, I’m convinced my new fabulous career as a freelance writer is the unintended result of my hysterectomy in 2019. It’s a long and winding road, so pay attention.
I was really unhappy about being told I needed the surgery right after Matthew’s Bar Mitzvah. It was completely unexpected, and I won’t go into the details because I don’t want to scare away my few male readers (shout-out to my dentist!). Anyhoo, it needed to be done abdominally, and since my kids were all delivered by c-section, it would be my fourth such surgery. To me, it seemed like being forced to endure the bad part without bringing home the prize at the end. Bummer for me. Then, due to scheduling and whatnot, it would take place in June, which meant I’d be lying around for much of the summer, unable to spend it in my beloved pool. Bigger bummer for me.
Here I have to back up a bit. Remember the show Downton Abbey on PBS? Well, I missed it when it was airing, probably due to having all those kids and missing great TV for about 15 years. Well, anyone who knows me knows that a show like Downton Abbey is my THING, my cup of tea, my jam. I am mildly obsessed with all things British and historical, most especially those involving Royalty and Aristocracy. So, you can see where Downton Abbey would appeal to me. But I missed it and I accepted that.
But then… I was moping on the couch post-surgery (see Scars) in the summer of 2019, flipping through the guide on the TV, and spotted Downton Abbey, Season 1, Episode 1, starting at 3pm. I glanced at the clock, and it was THREE O’CLOCK! I think I may have started crying. It was like the gods were smiling down on me. Or else feeling really sorry for my having to spend the summer lying on the couch. Whichever it was, I knew I was blessed. The universe was tossing me a crumb! I spent the entirety of the next four weeks watching five or six hours a day of that magnificent series. It helped me forget my woes and transformed my summer.
At the start of each episode on PBS, there is a commercial for the show’s sponsor, Viking River Cruises. Ah, you can see where this is headed now. I was mesmerized by the calm and soothing voice of British actress, Louisa Gummer. I can’t explain it other than I was hypnotized as she narrated the commercial showing the Viking Longship cruising down some of the most beautifully scenic rivers in Europe. Her voice was like the river itself, flowing and rippling through my soul. I NEEDED to take one of those cruises. It was just something I knew to be true. My very life depended on it. (I sincerely hope someone from Viking is reading this so that they know how effective their marketing is!)
Getting my husband to agree to what I want is something I’ve perfected over the years through grueling trial and error. It takes a lot of finesse and endless patience, but I almost always get what I want even if I’m forced to wait years. So, I had to get working on a fool proof plan. Aha! Our 25th anniversary was approaching the following year. For those of you following my burgeoning career, you know this story ends happily ever after.
Turns out the cruise was truly life-changing for me. In the time leading up the trip, I engaged in some serious soul-searching, looking to add meaning to my life that was quickly becoming devoid of needy kids. I always loved writing during my very short career as a lawyer. And I’ve always loved traveling, especially overseas. Why not marry my two loves? I toyed with the idea but wasn’t sure how to make it work since after this cruise, I was staying put for the indefinite future. It’s not like we can take glorious overseas trips all the time, or even annually. But I wanted to try it out.
While cruising up the Danube, I delighted in telling all my new friends that I was going to be a travel writer and this trip was going to make up my first series of articles. The staff even indulged me, happily printing out copies of all the daily menus on their beautiful stationery and setting up scenes for me to photograph for my pieces. I treasure these mementos and did write a couple of different pieces about the cruise but chose to publish only one – the transformative journey my husband and I took together (see Danube).
After I got home, I opened a LinkedIn account to bolster my new career path and changed the bio on all my social media to read “Travel Writer.” But, after writing a few pieces on my recent trips and how to pack, I was plumb out of travel material… so I decided to just keep writing about whatever pops into my head and amended my bios to read “Freelance Writer.”
So, my question to you is: would I have made the leap to launch a new career if not for my hysterectomy? Would it have happened anyway? I don’t think so. The surgery put me on the couch on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in July at exactly 3 pm. I most certainly would not have been there otherwise, and everything that followed would not have fallen into place exactly as it did. There was a clearly identifiable chain of events that led me here. To my second career, one that brings me great joy. Whether it actually brings in an income remains to be seen. In an ideal world, it would sustain a travel fund so that I may change my bio back to “Travel Writer” and “Jodi’s Jaunts” would actually be about trips. But until then, I’ll keep writing about the minutia of my life and hope you continue to enjoy reading it. And if I’m very lucky and you’re very loyal, you just might be able to follow along as I traverse the world telling you all about it.