Programmer by Day/Author by Night

About Me — Anne Emerick

Lover of stories that bring comfort, inspiration or adventure

Me at the bottom of the Grand Canyon (photo supplied by helpful husband)

How I Became a Programmer by Day, Author by Night

I’ve always loved stories. Dr. Seuss and fairytales when I was little and people were reading to me. The Boxcar Kids, the Black Stallion series and books about dogs (because we didn’t have one) when I got older.

I had a pretty tame, middle-class upbringing in the suburbs of Wilmington, Delaware, in the 1970’s. I’m a bit younger than the generation that went to Vietnam or lost older brothers to it. Even then, I knew that I was lucky.

I attended Dartmouth College, studied computer science, got married, and had my first son by the time I turned 21. Being a parent makes you an adult, and I was kind of bummed that adulthood didn’t look like I expected. Being a parent did allow me to return to reading all those little kids’ books, and I began writing children’s stories.

Dave and I (photo supplied by author, probably taken by same helpful husband)

So that’s the short version of how I became a ‘programmer by day/author by night.’ Obviously, I do many things that aren’t programming during the day and lots of not writing stuff at night.

Family and How We Spend Our Time

My husband and I have raised two now-grown sons who have given us two daughters-in-law to love and one grandson. We are dog people — Willie, Tamara, Jack, Rascal, Josie, Sam, and Lucy. Sam and Lucy are both yellow Labradors and here today. A couple cats, Raoul and Smudge, also snuck into the family and were loved. But they left long ago, which means our mouse population is sadly booming because we live in the woods.

My husband attended a business event in Colorado in 1995. He called me on his first day there and said we ‘had’ to visit the Rockies that summer. There is something magical about that part of the country: snow-capped mountains, wide-open spaces. For East-coast people, we’ve spent a lot of time in national parks — Zion, Yellowstone, Bryce Canyon, Glacier National Park, Arches, and the Grand Canyon.

A bison walking along the road in Yellowstone during a spring rain (photo supplied by author)

But you don’t have to be in one of those parks to be surrounded by natural beauty. Just driving from one point to another can fill your soul. Writing these words makes me realize it has been too long since we were there.

Sounds great, right? But…

“Life is problems, Annie, one after another.”

So said a running buddy around 1986. I don’t know what I had been complaining about — having a baby who woke up at night, a rude co-worker, or a car that broke down. My friend was about 20 years older than I was and much wiser. She was right. Life is full of problems and struggle. Moments of boredom or despair. At times it’s hard to find joy or hang on to your hopes.

And that’s when a good story comes in.

Not all stories are written. Some are quick exchanges with a co-worker about what happened that morning. But the best takes you out of your world and gives you a glimpse of another person’s life. And that is where the comfort, adventure, or inspiration arrive. When you can see more than the obstacle in front of you, you feel better.

The Stories I Share — What I Write About

If you’ve read this far, I probably don’t need to convince you of the power of words and a good story. Follow me as I paint some pictures with my words. I write on quite a few different topics on Medium, including running, writing, life lessons, having a job or looking for one, and humor.

I even have some stuff that doesn’t fit in one of those topics. Outside of Medium, I created Unemploymentville.com — a place for unemployed or underemployed people to share their stories and ideas. I’ve written some books both for kids and adults. But that’s enough about me. I’m ready to hear about you. Add in a comment if you’ve created your About Me post here on Medium or plan to.

Thanks, Anne