My roots are in music. But Eileen Ford saw my high school

In the deeply personal and revealing words, “My roots are in music. But Eileen Ford saw my high school graduation picture, and next thing I knew I was on a plane to New York. That’s what threw a monkey wrench in it. The modeling,” Bebe Buell speaks not only of a career twist, but of the ancient struggle between destiny and detour, between what one is born to do and what the world demands in return. Beneath her reflection lies a story of longing, of identity, and of how easily the current of life can sweep us away from the riverbed of our first passion. For every soul who has ever been torn between purpose and opportunity, her words ring with both beauty and sorrow — the ache of knowing one’s roots, yet being drawn by winds that promise new horizons.

The origin of this quote lies in Buell’s youth, when she stood at the crossroads of art and fame. Born in Virginia, she was a girl whose soul was woven with music, the art that shaped her childhood and the rhythm that called to her heart. Yet fate, mischievous and unpredictable, intervened. Eileen Ford, the legendary founder of Ford Models, saw Buell’s photograph — a simple image taken at her high school graduation — and in that instant, the course of her life shifted. She was whisked away to New York City, the glittering epicenter of fashion and celebrity, where cameras replaced microphones and photo shoots took the place of rehearsals. Modeling brought her glamour and recognition, but also distraction — “a monkey wrench,” as she calls it — thrown into the quiet machinery of her original dream.

Her story mirrors that of many throughout history who have been seduced by chance and circumstance, caught between their calling and their opportunities. In this, Buell’s reflection echoes the tale of Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s Odyssey, who longed to return home to Ithaca yet was endlessly delayed by storms and temptations. Each island he landed upon glittered with new delights — but none could replace the home of his heart. In the same way, Buell’s detour into modeling, though dazzling, pulled her from the melody that first gave her soul its shape. The world celebrated her beauty, but deep within her, the song of her true self waited to be sung again.

And yet, there is no bitterness in her words — only recognition, and the wisdom that comes from time. She acknowledges that life’s paths are rarely straight, that destiny sometimes arrives disguised as a distraction. Modeling may have delayed her musical journey, but it also shaped her story, giving her experiences, friendships, and lessons that would later feed her artistry. For in truth, every detour — when embraced with awareness — becomes a part of the road home. Even the “monkey wrench” becomes a teacher, reminding us that the heart’s compass, though temporarily diverted, never loses its true north.

This struggle between calling and circumstance is one of the oldest in human history. Consider Leonardo da Vinci, who yearned to paint yet was often commissioned to design weapons and machines for his patrons. Or Frida Kahlo, who dreamed of becoming a doctor until an accident confined her to bed, where she instead became one of the greatest painters of her age. Each was pulled away from their original plan by fate — and yet, through that diversion, discovered new dimensions of themselves. Buell’s modeling career, though unexpected, did not extinguish her musical roots; it merely delayed their flowering. When she returned to music years later, her voice carried the texture of experience — richer, wiser, and more resonant for all she had seen.

The meaning, then, is clear: life’s journey is seldom linear, and the interruptions that seem to derail us may, in time, become the very crucible that refines us. The soul may wander far from its roots, but it never forgets the soil from which it grew. True purpose endures — it waits, patient as a seed under snow, until the season is right for it to bloom again. Bebe Buell’s story reminds us that even when we are drawn into paths not of our choosing, the thread of our authentic self remains unbroken.

The lesson is both humbling and hopeful: guard your first passion, even if life carries you far from it. The world may offer you gold and glamour, but your root calling — that sacred voice within — is the truest treasure you will ever possess. Never confuse success with fulfillment, or fame with peace.

And the practical action is this: take time to remember what first moved your heart — the art, the dream, the purpose that once made you feel alive. Even if you have strayed, return to it, even in small ways. Write the song you never finished, pick up the brush, revisit the path you set aside. For as Bebe Buell’s journey teaches us, life may throw its monkey wrenches, but the melody of the soul is eternal — and when you finally return to it, you do not start again as the person you were, but as the wiser, fuller being you have become.