"When my son was an infant," says Vyvyan Lynn, "I'd bundle him up and go to the fabric store." Lynn describes the lure of a bolt of fresh cloth: "Fabric, just waiting to be turned into something!"

 

A truly creative soul, Lynn made the mistake common to many of us. She stifled herself for what she thought she "should" be. She donned suits and joined the ranks of the corporate world. It wasn't until she became a mother that Lynn began to scratch beneath the surface to find her true self again.

 

Several years ago, Lynn returned to the home she grew up. Now, with her parents gone, she spent time in the woods surrounding her home, remembering the carefree times of her childhood  Her children, too, were a constant reminder. And the enduring will of the little country girl who had loved to dream began to infuse the adult who Lynn says had been living under "the misguided theory" that being responsible means you can't be happy.

 

"I took jobs I hated," says Lynn about much of her adult years. "I worked my way through college, and majored in the wrong field." After college, she continued to force herself into a mold. "I sometimes even wore ties with my business suits to try to assimilate myself into the male world of banking," she says.  

 

Lynn is like many of us who allow others to tell us what we should do, or impose those strict "shoulds" on ourselves firsthand. Lynn is also a good example of returning to what we love, of findng happiness in who we are, and following our inner spirit. In Lynn's case, that meant rediscovering her appreciation for the feel of soft fabric against her cheek, the sound of the birds calling to their mates in the forest, and the free-spirited energy it takes to really feel alive.  

 

Instead of trying to be someone she wasn't, Lynn took a leap of faith that has resulted in happiness.  Having carried around excess weight like a physical symbol of her burdened outlook, Lynn shed the excess pounds and said good-bye to the people and ideas that had held her back.

 

Lynn, who is recently divorced, says that her children now see a strong woman where they once saw a person who did as she was expected. Lynn is still taking care of her children's needs, and enjoying them as individuals, but she's nurturing her own needs.

 

Lynn supplements the income from her new small business, Pillows and Prose, with freelance magazine and commercial writing. With the creation and sale of her specialty and Keepsake Pillows for Christmas, Valentine's and Mother's Day that feature beautiful poetry and prose to go with beautiful craftsmanship, she's pursuing financial independence that allows her to follow her dreams. *