Wired in Circles (and Finding My Way Anyway)

By Tamara Bernal – Wild & Graceful Living

When I was younger and trying to find my way. I used to admire the people who knew. You know the ones, those rare souls who decided at fifteen they wanted to be a doctor, a builder, a teacher....and they just… did it. They followed a straight path, stayed the course, and built a life around that one clear calling.

I always wondered what that must feel like,

to know.

I’ve never been that kind of person. My path has looked more like a winding country road (and sometimes, more like an L.A. spaghetti bowl of overpasses) than a straight highway.

As a young single mom, I wanted to be home with my kids, so I opened a daycare. Later, I got my real estate license, which offered income and flexibility. Since then, it has been a huge part of my story. For many years now, I’ve helped families buy and sell homes, navigate big transitions, and find peace in the process. I’ve never chased the spotlight or cared much about being the “top producer.” What matters to me is people, their stories, their hopes, and their sense of home. I pour my heart into caring for the outcome, not just the transaction.

That may not seem so winding, but I've also owned other small businesses, started blogs, websites, done several MLM ventures, and more. However, all along that winding path, at the core of my being, I've wanted to be a writer, a storyteller, an encourager, and someone with a message of hope and faith.

It has taken me a long time to accept, but.....I’m just not wired in straight lines. I’m wired in circles, creative, intuitive, and often led more by faith and experience than by formulas.

There were times I envied those with one clear label and calling: doctor, teacher, entrepreneur, because it seemed so much more tangible than.... whatever it is that I have or am.

I have often felt that my winding path meant I wasn’t “great” at anything. But lately, I’ve started to realize: maybe that’s the point.

My gift isn’t in mastering one job and just being that Title. It’s in gathering many things: along life's path, the lessons, the stories, the struggles, and blending them into something that brings hope and encouragement to others.

It’s a lot like walking through a meadow after the rain, noticing what’s growing wild, what’s worth keeping, and what can be turned into something useful and good. Maybe my calling is less about climbing ladders and more about foraging through life’s seasons, gathering wisdom and experience like herbs and wildflowers, and creating something healing for others from what I’ve found along the way.

I may not be the kind of expert who builds empires, but I am the kind who builds trust, who listens, who prays over big decisions, and for the people in my life. One who believes in helping people find not just a house, but a sense of peace and belonging.

That’s the heart behind what I want to build: a community of people who resonate with this. People who might not fit neatly in a box, but who are doing their best to live with purpose, creativity, and grace. People who care deeply, try hard, fall down sometimes, but still get back up, and still believe that life can be beautiful.

I don’t have it all figured out. I’m still on the journey. But if that sounds like you, if your life has been more curvy back road than straight highway, I’d love to connect. Maybe we can walk a bit of this road together, share stories, and remind each other that even when life doesn’t go as planned… it can still be wild and graceful.

Psalm 84:5 (NIV)

Blessed are those whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

10/7/2025