{"id":22037,"date":"2026-03-11T12:17:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T12:17:27","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-07-19T17:13:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T21:13:13","slug":"inspired-to-find-her-own-groove","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/","title":{"rendered":"Inspired to Find Her Own Groove"},"content":{"rendered":"

The moment Dwight\u2019s name popped up on my caller ID, my stomach clenched. We\u2019d been dating for more than a year and were going out to dinner Friday night. I knew exactly what he was going to ask. How am I ever going to get out of this?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cHello,\u201d I said, trying my best to sound relaxed.<\/p>\n

\u201cPick you up around six?\u201d he said. The words I\u2019d been dreading.<\/p>\n

I glanced over at the bulky shapes in the corner of my living room, wedged in next to the dust-covered piano nobody played. A brand-new full set of drums. What would Dwight think of this?<\/p>\n

\u201cOr I could just meet you there,\u201d I said hastily. \u201cNo reason for you to come all the way out here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silence. Dead silence. My heart was beating like, well, you know. \u201cAll right,\u201d he said finally. \u201cBut I don\u2019t mind. Wouldn\u2019t you like it if I picked you up?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course!\u201d I said. I was really crazy about Dwight. He\u2019s an engineer\u2014a sensible, stable guy, someone I could always count on. The opposite of my off-the-wall decision with the drums. \u201cJust not this week. If that\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally he agreed. I stared at the drum set. What was <\/em>I thinking? Middle-aged women don\u2019t take up drumming. Maybe painting. Or tennis. Gourmet cooking. Yoga, sure. But not drumming. Definitely not drumming.<\/p>\n

It had been embarrassing, the looks I got at the music store when I confessed the drum set was for me, not my kids. Me, a divorced single mom.<\/p>\n

There were so many other things I needed to be doing\u2014painting the back porch, writing my novel, catching up on my Bible reading. The laundry, for goodness sake. Sane, constructive activities, like I\u2019d done my whole life.<\/p>\n

But worse than that, even after weeks of lessons I was a total flop. Completely uncoordinated. Unable to sustain the most basic beat.<\/p>\n

Besides my daughters and my dad, I hadn\u2019t told anybody my strange secret. I knew as soon as word got out people would think I\u2019d lost it. Dwight especially. Even God was probably up there somewhere shaking his head. Or more likely covering his ears.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t the talent I gave you,\u201d I could imagine him saying before unleashing a thunderbolt.<\/p>\n

But here was the thing. Ever since I was a little girl I\u2019d thought the drums were really cool. My dad had been the leader of a band called the Orbits, and his tales of their gigs around Tuscaloosa, Alabama, had captivated my fertile young imagination.<\/p>\n

What could be more awesome than throwing down a backbeat or knocking out a perfect roll, my hands barely visible, just a flurry of motion and that pounding, primal rhythm? Beyond awesome, probably the coolest thing I\u2019d ever do.<\/p>\n

If only I weren\u2019t such a klutz. That\u2019s what had always held me back. As a teenager I was constantly dropping things, running into walls and furniture. That\u2019s why my dad had jokingly nicknamed me Grace. Drumming, I knew, required coordination. I was afraid to even try.<\/p>\n

Instead I shelved any thought of playing the drums and focused on what I was actually good at. Writing. I loved writing about people who took risks, huge leaps of blind faith. But in those stories no one ever looked like a flop or a fool.<\/p>\n

So why had I gone and done this now? Was it some sort of midlife crisis? A need to prove my independence? I\u2019d told myself it was research for my next novel, whose main character was a girl drummer.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t have the answer. Really, what was <\/em>the plan? I was never going to be one of the cool kids.<\/p>\n

At first I was just going to take lessons without telling anyone. I signed up at the music store at the end of the summer and my teacher patiently showed me how to hold the drumsticks, read music and keep time. Then we moved on to actually drumming\u2014four beats to a measure, over and over. Right, left, right, left.<\/p>\n

Simple, no? Not for me. I flailed about like I was swatting bees. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, you\u2019re just starting,\u201d Chris, my teacher, said. \u201cAnd the drums require more grace than any other instrument. You\u2019ll get better the more you practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grace? That was me all right! At first I didn\u2019t have a drum set, so I arranged pots and pans on the kitchen table. Big mistake. The girls peered at me from the hallway, their hands clapped tightly over their ears. \u201cMom! Stop!\u201d they groaned. \u201cThat sounds horrible!\u201d They were right.<\/p>\n

I should have quit right then. But something wouldn\u2019t let me. Persistence or obstinacy, I couldn\u2019t tell you. I broke down and paid $425 for a drum set. Daddy was thrilled when I told him. He came over that very afternoon to help me set it up.<\/p>\n

\u201cDrumming is like rubbing your head and patting your tummy,\u201d he said, as he fastened a leg onto the bass drum. \u201cYou\u2019ll get the hang of it.\u201d Minutes later he sat on the stool and laid down a groove from the old days.<\/p>\n

I watched him rock back and forth, flawlessly alternating the high hat with the bass. I swayed to the beat. Why couldn\u2019t I do that?<\/p>\n

At my next lesson I worked on coordination exercises, repeated movements with my hands and feet. Left, left, right, right, left right\u2026 Rub your head and pat your tummy? Was Daddy kidding? Why not twirl flaming batons while I was at it?<\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t help but laugh at my clumsiness. Chris laughed too. But it was a kind, understanding chuckle.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeriously, am I the worst student you\u2019ve ever had?\u201d I asked, after blowing a pattern. Again.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh, no, I wouldn\u2019t say that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t sound so sure,\u201d I shot back.<\/p>\n

He smiled and pointed to the lesson. Sigh. <\/em>Left, left, right\u2026<\/p>\n

I practiced the drums every morning. By then the girls were in school and I could pound away without assaulting anyone\u2019s ears but my own. Chris had taught me a few more backbeats and fills. I went over them again and again. And every so often, when I actually kept a rhythm for just a few beats, I felt like Buddy Rich.<\/p>\n

Funny thing about drums: They\u2019re loud. Really, really loud. Bold. Daring. Not like me at all. There was something incredibly freeing about that. Exhilarating. I could feel something in me shaking awake, coming to life.<\/p>\n

After practice I rushed to my computer, my mind overflowing with plot points and dialogue, description and character development. A story about a teenage girl who just happens to be one terrific drummer.<\/p>\n

Still, my playing had barely progressed at all. I couldn\u2019t hold onto my secret much longer. Dwight was starting to wonder what was going on. Finally, I relented and let him pick me up for our next date, the following Friday.<\/p>\n

That night I held him at the door for as long as I could, then said, \u201cClose your eyes. I have a surprise for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

I took his hand and led him into the living room. I took a deep breath. Please, don\u2019t let him think I\u2019m a total dork, <\/em>I prayed. Could I really do this? Did I have a choice? \u201cOkay, you can look,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

He opened his eyes and caught sight of my drum set. \u201cWow!\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s soooo cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sat down and held the sticks in his hands. Then he pounded out a perfect backbeat.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never told me you played the drums,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t,\u201d he said. \u201cI was just messing around. Here, you play something for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

I wanted to die, right then and there. \u201cNo way,\u201d I said. I sat on the couch and covered my face with my hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had like a dozen lessons and I still can\u2019t do what you just did,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m awful. I\u2019m always going to be awful. That\u2019s why I didn\u2019t want you to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t laugh. He didn\u2019t say anything. Slowly I pulled my hands away from my eyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay,\u201d he said. \u201cBut are you having fun? Do you like playing the drums?\u201d<\/p>\n

Fun? What did that have to do with anything? Wasn\u2019t the point to be good at it? All those mornings practicing. Those fleeting moments when I actually nailed a backbeat. The sizzle of the ride cymbal. That deafening, cacophonous sound of me pounding away, oblivious to everything around me.<\/p>\n

Fun? It was a blast! The coolest thing I\u2019d ever done. A joy that went beyond awesome, that could only come from\u2026<\/p>\n

Maybe God wasn\u2019t covering his ears at my playing after all. Did I dare believe he might actually be urging me on by making me so stubborn?<\/p>\n

\u201cI know this sounds crazy,\u201d I said, \u201cbut I really do like it. I like it a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then, you should keep doing it,\u201d he said. It all sounded so simple and sensible when he said it. Like always.<\/p>\n

One day I hope to be able to play an entire song. But until then I\u2019m happy to groove to my own beat. It\u2019s not a secret anymore. No one seems to care that I\u2019m a terrible drummer. They get a kick out of how much fun I\u2019m having.<\/p>\n

I finished writing my novel. \u201cI didn\u2019t know you were a musician,\u201d my agent said after she read it. Ha! The biggest thing I\u2019m working on now is planning my wedding. It turns out Dwight didn\u2019t think I was a dork at all. Funny thing about dreams and grace. You never know where they\u2019ll take you. But God does.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The moment Dwight\u2019s name popped up on my caller ID, my stomach clenched. We\u2019d been dating for more than a year and were going out to dinner Friday night. I knew exactly what he was going to ask. How am I ever going to get out of this? \u201cHello,\u201d I said, trying my best to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":42411,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_bluesky_share_type":"","_mastodon_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[377],"tags":[58,51,197],"ppma_author":[898],"class_list":["post-22037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-emotional-and-mental-health","tag-guideposts","tag-inspirational-stories","tag-motivational-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nInspired to Find Her Own Groove - Guideposts Articles<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inspired to Find Her Own Groove\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The moment Dwight\u2019s name popped up on my caller ID, my stomach clenched. We\u2019d been dating for more than a year and were going out to dinner Friday night. I knew exactly what he was going to ask. How am I ever going to get out of this? \u201cHello,\u201d I said, trying my best to […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Guideposts Articles\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-11T12:17:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-19T21:13:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ginger_rue_drums.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1539\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"866\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ginger Rue\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Neeraj Rai\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be\"},\"headline\":\"Inspired to Find Her Own Groove\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T12:17:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-19T21:13:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1680,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/ginger_rue_drums.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Guideposts\",\"Inspirational Stories\",\"Motivational Stories\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Emotional and Mental Health\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/\",\"name\":\"Inspired to Find Her Own Groove - Guideposts Articles\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/ginger_rue_drums.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-11T12:17:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-19T21:13:13+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/ginger_rue_drums.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/03\\\/ginger_rue_drums.jpg\",\"width\":1539,\"height\":866,\"caption\":\"Sherwood Cox\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Positive Living\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Health and Wellness\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Better Living\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Emotional and Mental Health\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/positive-living\\\/health-and-wellness\\\/better-living\\\/emotional-and-mental-health\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":6,\"name\":\"Inspired to Find Her Own Groove\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"description\":\"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Guideposts Articles\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/gp-logo-white.svg\",\"caption\":\"Guideposts Articles\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gpbookstore.org\\\/articles\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be\",\"name\":\"Neeraj Rai\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g0c0183ebd910e29ad96a4a5994cce5d4\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Neeraj Rai\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/guideposts.org\\\/articles\\\/author\\\/neeraj\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Inspired to Find Her Own Groove - Guideposts Articles","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Inspired to Find Her Own Groove","og_description":"The moment Dwight\u2019s name popped up on my caller ID, my stomach clenched. We\u2019d been dating for more than a year and were going out to dinner Friday night. I knew exactly what he was going to ask. How am I ever going to get out of this? \u201cHello,\u201d I said, trying my best to […]","og_url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/","og_site_name":"Guideposts Articles","article_published_time":"2026-03-11T12:17:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-19T21:13:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1539,"height":866,"url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ginger_rue_drums.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ginger Rue","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/"},"author":{"name":"Neeraj Rai","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be"},"headline":"Inspired to Find Her Own Groove","datePublished":"2026-03-11T12:17:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-19T21:13:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/"},"wordCount":1680,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ginger_rue_drums.jpg","keywords":["Guideposts","Inspirational Stories","Motivational Stories"],"articleSection":["Emotional and Mental Health"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/","url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/","name":"Inspired to Find Her Own Groove - Guideposts Articles","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ginger_rue_drums.jpg","datePublished":"2026-03-11T12:17:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-19T21:13:13+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ginger_rue_drums.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ginger_rue_drums.jpg","width":1539,"height":866,"caption":"Sherwood Cox"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/inspired-to-find-her-own-groove\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Positive Living","item":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Health and Wellness","item":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Better Living","item":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Emotional and Mental Health","item":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/positive-living\/health-and-wellness\/better-living\/emotional-and-mental-health\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":6,"name":"Inspired to Find Her Own Groove"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","name":"Guideposts Articles","description":"Strengthening Faith. Providing Hope.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#organization","name":"Guideposts Articles","url":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/gp-logo-white.svg","caption":"Guideposts Articles"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/#\/schema\/person\/f0862e0bfb5f72f571ea4d005001f0be","name":"Neeraj Rai","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g0c0183ebd910e29ad96a4a5994cce5d4","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/18c0b5a06458f26c764f5a7451f1774cfb282943f2f36a00c9a801809489005c?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","caption":"Neeraj Rai"},"url":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/author\/neeraj\/"}]}},"authors":[{"term_id":898,"user_id":0,"is_guest":1,"slug":"ginger-rue","display_name":"Ginger Rue","avatar_url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fguideposts.org%2Farticles%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fguideposts%2Fassets%2Fimages%2Fdefault-avatar.png&r=g","author_category":"","first_name":"","last_name":"","user_url":"","job_title":"","description":""}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22037"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22037\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42410,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22037\/revisions\/42410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22037"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/guideposts.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=22037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}