“At five years old, I wanted to be a dancer and a
business woman,” Ginny wrote me in an e-mail. “By
thirteen, I thought I would make a good counselor and was
told that I would be a good radio DJ. Now in my thirties, I
am still unfolding and can see all my childhood dreams
materializing in my work as a doula.”^13
There’s something to be said for the power of
perseverance and a person’s will to survive. Certainly
Ginny’s story is a testament to the ability of the human spirit
to endure. But it’s also a testament to the power of
community, a reminder that we never find a calling on our
own. We all need help.
Years ago, when deciding whether or not to keep her
baby, Ginny never could have imagined where she would
be now, helping other women have the support she never
received as a new mother. What makes her story special,
though, is not that she got help—help is always available
when we need it. It’s that she recognized it when it came.
Remember: this all began because Ginny didn’t do well
on her exams. It wasn’t an exceptional education that
brought her to this place. It was a series of unexpected
incidents and unlikely mentors that created the perfect
opportunity to grow. An accidental apprenticeship is like
that. These experiences are impossible to engineer but easy
to recognize once you know what to look for.
Sometimes the people who help us find our calling come
from the least likely of places. It’s our job to notice them.