Eureka!

My friend Starr once asked me what I would do if there were nothing barring my way - not finances, not talent, not ability, nothing. And I responded, "Write a book."

She followed that with, "So what's stopping you?"

Like a light shining on a marble head, I FINALLY have the answer. It's funny, actually, that I am sitting here at work, in the midst of a million repetitive phone calls, and the answer all of a sudden comes to me, completely unbidden.

When someone asks you that question, your response is invariably an answer of something you WISH you wanted to do. I admire a great many authors, avidly read, and like the idea of publishing a novel, but if I really wanted to do it, I would. There isn't anything stopping me except the desire to do so.

Sure, we all like the idea of being famous, of becoming a rock star, or of scaling Mt. Everest. However, if we truly wanted that experience, we would do it. Instead of writing my memoirs, I scrapbook, I watch movies, I go to the gym, I hang out with friends - whatever it is that I choose to do at the moment.

So Starr, if you're reading this, I finally figured it out. I love the idea of writing, but don't really want to. When you asked me that question, I was already doing what I wanted to do.