As a girl who was born and raised in the South, I have grown up living and breathing traditions. I have learned traditional prayers from my church, as well as eaten many of the foods that are primarily associated with the Southern way of life: fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and sweet tea, to name a few. Therefore, most of the people I know are probably expecting me to follow traditions in terms of my career. So here's to me breaking tradition!

When I was younger, every other adult liked to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Being the idealistic elementary schooler I was, I answered that I wanted to be a teacher just like my mother. The answer seemed simple, but it was an unsure eight-year old's answer. In hindsight, the future has always been a concept that cannot be summed up as one simple answer, so it's funny how I thought I had it all figured out.

Now, I have absolutely no problem with teachers. I have spent my whole life around teachers, hearing stories about what teachingrealistically entails. My mother has taken in her classroom stories as additional lessons to perfecting her teaching skills. She exemplifies an excellent example of great work ethic, and I hope I make her proud with my own work someday. However, I think it's clear that I don't possess the qualities of a teacher, and I accept that without fearful question.

I believe there is a fine line between fate and coincidence. Fate is what led me to decide that I could, should, and would be one thing in my life: a writer. There have been multitudes of stories and people that enhanced my love for writing and understanding of being a true writer. My mother is on the very top of the list of everything that I've been influenced by as an aspiring writer, but it was the person she was outside of the classroom that encouraged me.

No matter what, my mother emphasized the importance of reading in my life. Whenever we were at a bookstore, she'd always say that I could pick out a book and would never deny me a book if I wanted one. Even when I'm gabbing about a story idea, she always listens, even when some of the details don't completely make sense right away.

The truth of the matter is that I was born to be what I hope to be in the future. In a way, I think my mother was born to be a teacher, and I was born to be her student. I am meant to take the knowledge that she bestowed upon me for great purpose. I know that because she has always believed in my writing skills the same way I've never doubted her teaching abilities. I may not be taking up the same occupation as my mother, but there is no doubt that I will become a wonderful hard working person like her one day.