I'm reading Seth Godin's book "Linchpin".  I was reading merrily along agreeing agreeing having some lightbulb moments and then... bang... he said something today that made me close the book and go for a walk.  Honest to god I couldn't read another word.  I just had to close and go.

He was talking about how we do things that interfere with what we really want to accomplish.  Such things as blogging, internetting, proscrastinating, talking, making committees...anything and everything that could possibly distract our attention away from that which we know is our art.  Our art being that which we are here to create and express from deep within us. 

I know my art of connecting to the humanity within people has been calling me to write a book.  I was frozen in my place because he said that blogging is a way of interfering. Does it do what I want it to do?  Does it spread my art?  I don't know.  For the most part I may very well just be typing to myself.  Words floating off into the nether regions of space.  Void then of any significance.  That's not the product I want to create.  I want to create something that sits with people.  I want to create a book that gets hauled about in backpacks, flipped through on coffee tables, lingered over in quiet conversations, discussed in a book club (well maybe not that).  I want my art to affect a change within the reader.  I want it to open hearts, open minds, move anger into compassion, shift complacency into action... 

In order to do that I need to write it.  And maybe my book that is destined to be earmarked, underlined, quoted and written as a must have for Christmas is not the first one I write.  But I must write one in order to write two or three or four.  Four being my magic number may be the book that is truly the one where it all comes together.  I am starting today to dream bigger than my blog.  Bigger than my mind... I want to take what's in my mind and grow it.  A year from now I will have a copy of my first manuscript (is that even the right word??) I don't know.  But I'm starting.  I may not blog much as I'll be writing my book... or maybe I'll blog about writing my book as a way of complementing and processing.  Again I don't know.  But I can't wait until I know in order to begin. 

Consider this a begining.  A statement to the Universe that I am taking the next step and have set the wheels of creation in motion.  One year from now I will have a book ready for Christmas giving.  Put it on your list.