I stared at the word “empowerment” for a long while, trying to determine what the word meant to me. Power – who gives resources to whom? The image of a fairy queen with a magic wand kept dancing in the back of my mind.

Suddenly, I switched the first two letters around, and the answer emerged: “me-powerment”. Empowerment – mepowerment. There is no magic wand to bring about my strengths. It’s a mindset, ours to heed or to ignore.

It’s a shame it took me over fifty years to realize I can be a capable, strong woman and that’s a good thing. Pursuing my own interest and visions doesn’t have to mean pushing others aside and clipping their wings. We can all fly together. There’s power in numbers.

More than anything, I needed to realize that I am the one who has to make the magic happen. I am the fairy queen in my realm. Girls don’t have to be quiet and obedient – girls can rule. Kindly. That is a skill to learn, if anything; how to be in charge of your life while retaining compassion to others. We all have dreams, we all have struggles. I would not want to be the one to get in the way of another’s quest for happiness.

I found my empowerment through community college as I went for my second AA in my life. The first one was thirty years ago. I took classes in subjects that intimidated me; computer skills especially. There was math, of course, and finally, I even got that! Having been a stay-at home mom all my adult life, this was big time for me. I was learning skills that applied in life outside the four walls of my abode. Hooray! I waved the magic wand so much my hand hurt, but it was a good kind of pain.

While taking a course in journalism, I realized it was a perfect fit. Most other classes had been a test-drive, but I immediately loved writing articles about people and events and sharing them. I mentioned this to my English professor and added that I was hoping to work as a free-lance writer. He chuckled and said: “You must not need the money, I guess.” Thank you for the support, Dear Teacher.

It has been eight years since I graduated. I now write for four different publications regularly as a free-lancer. I am also close to completing my first novel. No, I don’t need the money: I am so darn happy doing what I love!

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of CHOICES Magazine