In the song “Young Turks,” Rod Stewart sings:
Because life is so brief, and time is a thief when you’re undecided
And like a fistful of sand, it can slip right through your hands
On the morning of December 4, 2022, my life changed. I still lived in the same place and had the same breakfast. The routine was the same, except for one thing. That morning, I became a published author.
What’s so special about that? Nothing. On the morning of December 4, 2022, when my book went live, no one was sitting there with their finger perched on the enter key, like Swifties hoping to get a Taylor concert ticket. Amazon sells three hundred million print books annually and sixteen million English titles alone. Who would be interested in a book written by a community college dropout, wannabe writer from North Carolina? Nobody, right?
In the following days, friends and family bought copies and offered encouragement. Then something extraordinary happened. A stranger posted a five-star review. You can’t imagine what it’s like to know that a reader somewhere, a total stranger, coughed up $19.99 to buy my book. Friends, that was a moment.
Then, I began to get emails and a few phone calls. People were interested. Strangers became friends. Relationships developed. My family grew. Newly discovered cousins shared their stories. The world is a tiny place. Six Degrees of Separation states that all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other.
Oxford Dictionary defines Humanity as the human race, human beings collectively. That’s the magic word, collectively. We’re all here together. Life is a lot of fun. Let’s enjoy it.
Musings of an Old Beach Guy 