A Message from T.D. Arkenberg
I left corporate America two decades ago. To pursue my dream of writing, I gave up colleagues, an extensive professional network, a successful career, and a steady paycheck. Even scarier, I left behind my identity. Or, at least, a sizable chunk of it. Contemporary culture defines us by our work, title, and employer. Our position gives us status, prestige, and something to talk about at parties and family gatherings. Many of us willingly let our job define us. I wanted more.
Publishing Apéro, European Stories, my ninth book, allows me to reflect on the past 20 years. I’ve dedicated almost as much of my life creating, writing, revising, publishing, and promoting books as I spent working for United Airlines. Although the amount of work, stress, and anxiety are similar, the two paths couldn’t be more different: collaboration vs solitary pursuit; structure vs asymmetry; predictability vs spontaneity. Most people never get the chance I’ve had to exercise both sides of their brain. Guess that makes me lucky.
Perhaps, instead of swapping one identity for another, I merged them. After all, we are the sum of all we’ve ever done. Today when asked for my profession, my simple reply is, “I write.” People seem impressed by my latest identity. I can understand their reaction. My writing journey has been an open-ended world of discovery, exploration and adventure. What’s next? No clue. But whatever it is, I hope it’s as fun and fulfilling as my former pursuits.
