CHAPTER 20:

FEAR IS FOR SUCKERS

We tiptoe through life hoping to safely make it to death.

—Unknown

When I lived in New Mexico, a friend of mine took me to this cave she’d heard

about up in the Jemez Mountains. “It’s more like a big hole in the ground,

actually,” she said, “but I hear it’s pretty cool.” She didn’t do a great job of

selling it, especially when she got to the part about how we’d have to crawl

around on all fours the whole time, but I wasn’t really listening to her anyway.

Caves don’t interest me, no matter what size they are; I was only going for the

road trip and the hike through the mountains and this great burger place that I

discovered the last time I was up there. The cave was just a necessary part of the

trip, like stopping for gas.

CHAPTER 19:

THE DRAMA OF OVERWHELM

I have lived a long life and had many troubles, most of which never

happened.

—Mark Twain; American author, humorist

When I set out to write a new book, I find it very helpful to start with a separate

index card for each chapter. I put the chapter title at the top of each card, write

my notes in the space underneath, and then spread them all out on a table so I

can see the whole thing at once.

CHAPTER 18:

PROCRASTINATION, PERFECTION, AND A POLISH

BEER GARDEN

In order to kick ass you must first lift up your foot.

—Jen Sincero; author, coach, self-quoter

One of my first jobs out of college was production coordinator for the Ethnic

Folk Arts Festival, which was put on by a little nonprofit group in New York

City. I heard about the position opening up from a friend, and decided I had to

have the job even though I’d never produced a thing in my life and find folk art

to be fairly yawnable. It looked like fun anyway—they worked out of a funky

loft in Tribeca, knew a lot about music, brought their dogs to work, and the

festival I’d be working on gathered musicians, dancers, and artists from around

the globe and brought them together in a Polish beer garden in Queens for a big

fat party. Which meant men in skirts and free sausage and beer.