The Purpose of Pragmatic & Pretty

You know how they tell you to do what you love and you’ll never be unhappy? 

Back when the “what do you want to be” or “what do you want to do” question first started popping up when I was like 7, I always told people “as long as I’m writing, I’ll be happy”. 

Not true. Not true at all.

While my answer never changed and it was the same whether I was 7, 10, 15, 18, 22, 25 or now, I learned through the first leg of life that it was not true that just being a writer is what would make me happy.

I spent the last fourteen years writing professionally in different capacities as a journalist/digital media specialist and while I will admit I loved most of it, it was very difficult. 

Difficult in the not fun “my mind is being challenged” way, but difficult in the “my values and morals are being compromised” way. 

It’s been almost a decade since I really wrote for the sake of loving writing. 

I began professionally writing at the age of 16 for a university’s magazine and I never stopped. I wrote all through university professionally and continued doing so all through my career thus far, but the last few years of writing in a way I disliked really wore me down.

So, I’m back. Back to my roots in blogging/journaling and I wanted to reintroduce myself to you as who I’ve always been and who I always hope to be. It has been a while after all. 

I’m Lina C. Newly 30. Persistently confused (about everything, always). 

Most of all, in this moment as I write this (the evening of Jan. 4), I’m happy.

Nothing in my life is going right — and hasn’t for a minute now, but I’m happy. I have the time to write for the sake of writing, space to explore and analyze the thoughts that move rapidly around my brain, and the ability to just exist in this world with peu importe (whatever/little importance). 

That’s another thing you’ll learn as we explore this new writing journey together — I mix French and English frequently. My native tongue is obviously English, but I’ve been speaking French for more than half my life now so it’s a hard-earned skill I’ll be damned to lose. 

In that case, you’ll adapt to the mélange (mixture) of languages as is reminiscent of my brain. Constantly, it’s a mix of Franglais and sometimes Spanish/Italian/German/Czech/whatever other languages I’ve picked up thrown in as well.

Before I digress (another bad habit), we’ll get back to the purpose of this new blog journey and so we’ll go return to the “who I am, who I’m trying to be, and who I would like to be” parts. 

You got the “who I am” part even though there’s more — this is a process so that’ll come along increasingly later. We don’t need to peel back all those layers at once.  

Asking who I “Am” is very fluid, never static. Alternately, asking who I “Was” is very different, usually static.

Who I’m trying to be? Who I’ve always wanted to be — a writer. A dreamer. A creative. A passionate, emphatic, mad wordsmith. 

Who I would like to be? More of this, a writer, but with more stability. And I hope to achieve that by getting another degree (or two or three) along the way, because at my most literal essence, I am a learner. 

I am the consummate student and I love learning. Honestly, any format of learning makes me happy but there is something about a classroom environment with like-minded individuals that just really revs me up. There’s rarely a better feeling than a meaningful conversation or thought-provoking debate. 

I think the biggest heartbreak of my life was graduating university at 22 and leaving a formal education environment. I have been chasing that ever since in every job I’ve held, which is why I’ve made a great living as a journalist. I love asking questions and understanding everyone/everything around me. Being a journalist allowed me to keep learning, but that education hasn’t been nearly as structured or as pedagogic (educational). 

If I had a choice, the first time around, I would have gone straight into my Master’s and continued into my doctoral path. 

Life decided to life and it didn’t work out that way, but I never put the dream on hold — I just had to pivot.

So this blog, this is my pivot. 

Back to who Lina has always been (a mad scientist-writer) and continuing into who Lina always wanted to be — a Doctor.

In another five years (though preferably less), I would like to have earned my Master’s of Science in Narrative Medicine and continue the process of professionally writing in conjunction with my own research in the medical field.

By the end of this decade, I would love to have the title of Doctor in a science (hopefully Narrative Medicine or Bioethics).

One day, way into the future, I would love to hold a doctorate in the arts as well, but I've been science-tracked thus far and so I will continue. That's the pragmatic part of me after all.

So, here we go!

Pragmatic and Pretty will be broken into three parts:

1. Pragmatic — my science-based/research-driven/curiosity-inspired writings.
   
   
2. Pretty — all my poetic, fanciful more fun writings.
   
   
3. Ponderings — all my philosophical writings.

I can’t say to which degree you’ll get what — some days I am very clinically minded and some days I’m just a hippy in the sun.

I can’t guarantee that Fridays will always land on a “Pretty” piece of writing any more than I can guarantee that Wednesdays will be “Ponderings”. And we all know the “Pragmatic” is going to hit when it hits.

My goal is at least one blog post each week until we've exhausted this fascinating topic of Narrative Medicine. 

If you’re looking for consistency, you’ll find it. If you’re looking for predictability, you’re in a different sort of space.

Instead, I hope you just enjoy the ride as much as I intend to enjoy this ride (and have enjoyed it thus far). 

I’ve spent the last 30 years putting together the recipe, the last 14 years figuring out the special sauce, and a lifetime with all the love needed to put it together, so if you trust me in this crazy kitchen we call "Life"… 

And if you’re curious about where I’m going with all this, thank you (first of all and sincerely) and welcome. 

A culmination of a lifetime’s work is in the process and, wow… You guys, I’m really, really excited.