Alayna Bowman 

English 1109 at 1:30, Mon- Wed

6 November 2020

 

                                                                 Journal Eight

            The story Callings, by Dave Isay is filled with different stories on how people found their life callings. I will be comparing and contrasting two of the chapters from the story. One chapter is about a dentist, Thomas McGarvey and the other is about an artist, Olga Ayala. They both start off about talking about their family backgrounds and how their parents are immigrants. McGarvey’s father was from Ireland and Ayala and her family are from Puerto Rico. Also, their mother played a big role in both of their lives. McGarvey lost his father at a young age so his mother had to take on both roles. This caused him to have to step up and help provide for his family. Without his mother, he wouldn’t of learned how to be an adult and find a job that he loves. Ayala and her mother were very close and they bounced ideas for paintings off of each other. Her mother helped her out a lot and helped her find her love for art. She describes her mother as her muse. 

            Although these two profiles have some similarities they also have many differences. One main difference is they come from totally different backgrounds. McGarvey comes from a family of seven boys and six girls. Ayala is an only child. Another major difference was how they came to find their callings. McGarvey found his calling when a Navy recruiter told him he should join Hospital Corps and become a dental technician. Ayala found her calling after her mother doodled on a grocery list. It opened her up to art and she insisted for her mother to teach her how to draw. Another difference is the age they found their callings. McGarvey found his calling when he was in high school at age seventeen. Ayala found her calling when she was only five or six. They proved it’s possible to find your calling at any age.

            These two stories are pretty unique and hard to relate to. I can mainly relate to Thomas McGarvey’s profile because like him, I lost my father at a young age. It hit hard to him as it did to me and made me question life as well. I also had to grow up faster and get a job to help my mom out since she was raising two kids by herself and working many hours. My mother is a nurse and although I admire her career path, I chose to take a different one. However, like Ayala, my sister was very interested in my moms work at a young age and she is pursing a nursing degree now with the help of my mother. This reminds me of Ayala’s profile because they both found their callings from their parents and they admire what they do.

This is one of Olga Ayala’s vibrant pieces.