The first day of being a published author was April 30th, 2020. So much emotion wrapped into a single moment it's hard to describe. Finally I had accomplished seeing one of my works come into fruition. That's when the jitters hit. It took twenty years after declaring that I wanted to be an author for the dream to manifest. Why? Well I guess to sum it up... fear. I was afraid I would fail. That everyone who said it was a long shot or that I couldn't do it would be right. Deep down it felt like if I never put anything out there then the dream would always be alive. There was always that some day moment. As the years ticked by I toiled away in one finance department after another putting my accounting degree to good use, but my health and wellness deteriorated. I was in pretty rough shape weighing in at 509 pounds my end was in sight. I got serious about my life and what I wanted from it. On June 10th, 2019 I underwent vertical gastric sleeve surgery and the next phase of my life began. I was tired of settling on my dreams and I vowed by June 10th of the following year I was going to not only shed the weight, but move closer to the better life I dreamed of. It's been a wild ride. All that setting goals and positive affirmations really hit home for me. Since that time I have lost nearly two hundred pounds, run in two 5k's, and now on April 30th I fulfilled my dream and became a published author. I don't know if I'll be successful. I don't know if people will love or hate my work. In the end it's not about success or failure. It's about having the courage to find out. -Reed
