I can’t stop writing.

I blame Germany. A year-long study abroad infused relentless independence in me and kicked my perception into overdrive. Writing became my weapon of choice and I never disarmed. Raw ambition fueled a fiery story line after that.

There was a subsidized sustainable development internship in Germany at 19 and then another internship, this time at the Pentagon, when I was 20. Twenty-one saw my graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh  and return to Germany as a Fulbright scholar. Then, in 2010 at 22, I moved to the United Kingdom to pursue a Master of Letters at the University of St Andrews as a Rotary International Ambassadorial scholar. I received my degree in November 2011.

Each of those experiences was formative, and each was made more meaningful by what I wrote in the midst of living them. But expectations quietly accumulated and that’s when the plot, my plot, invariably thickened: Pressure built, my conviction faded, and I responded by chasing an elusive and lavish career.

I wrote while I waited and I wrote when it didn’t happen. When, in my water-treading, I stopped to listen for that conviction, I heard something else instead—narratives; alluring and captivating narratives saturated my world and continue to stream in each day. The more I hear, the more I want to write.

We are all living some kind of extraordinary. I want to capture the brilliance and soul that drives each of us and share it by writing compelling stories. Maybe someone will find something they’ve been missing in what is written.

It’s time again to write on purpose and live with abandon and revel in the wisdom and joy that is all too often hidden.

Here’s to seeking.