THE MAIN CHARACTER

I am the main character in this story. As I write that sentence, I hear my mom’s voice in my head. “Don’t act like the world revolves around you, Molly.” Yes mom. I hear you, I understand you, and I am well aware that the whole world (for whatever reason) does not revolve around me. But in this story - my story - I am the main character.

The past 20 years of my existence have involved the continual collection of stories. Some stories are so joy-filled that they’re practically indescribable. I’ve spent Valentine’s day in Paris with my best friend. I rode camels along the coast of Morocco as the sun was setting. I spent 10 days on a boat off the coast of Washington with my parents and brothers. I’ve seen and felt things that have made my heart swell and filled my eyes to the brim. I have witnessed so much beauty in people and places and things.

Some stories are more difficult to remember - the ones that hurt my heart to even think about. The episodes of crippling anxiety and accidental weight loss and clouds of depression that feel like they’ll never lift. The ones of losing people you love and not being able to do anything about it. These stories might not be as fun to tell, but even the main character of a story has to go through some trials to get to where they’re meant to be.

Through a variety of experiences, I have been continually worn and weathered and shaped into a new person. I am constantly evolving; no longer the same person that I was a year ago, or 3 months ago, or even yesterday. The reality of a fleeting identity is bittersweet. There are past versions of myself that I wish I could be again, and past versions of myself that I’m glad are long gone. There’s things I wish I could tell my past selves and things I’m so glad that I was surprised by. Each of these past selves represents a different chapter from the story of my life.

BUT there has never been a great story written that involves just one solo character. In any really, really good story, it’s the supporting roles that make it. The out-of-your-league love interest, the quirky but lovable best friend, the mean girl who ends up having some redeemable qualities - these characters are what make a story really, truly great. The same is true in life. My story is epic. It’s one of love and loss and drama and heartbreak and humor - but absolutely none of these stories would be possible without the people involved. I want to introduce these characters - the ones that have witnessed and shaped my story. Some have known every single past version of me. Others have only read a chapter or two. But every person I’m going to introduce in this blog has impacted me in important ways. I want to highlight them and their stories and their goodness. I want to write a collective novel of all of our lives to show how connected we all are - and how impactful we can be in the lives of another. I hope you, reader, get to know and love these characters for who they are. And I hope that you, too, know of your impact on the lives around you. Connections run deep, and each day we help other people write their stories as we continue to write our own.