561. IT'S ABOUT THE DREAM

Of course it is raining the day Catey agrees to meet me. And it is that annoying Spring rain. Not the type where it drops in buckets and buckets where rain boots and golf sized umbrellas are required. Nor is it the type that is a dusting of rain that won’t completely deflate your hair. No, today is just a cold rain that is not playing nice with an inconsistent and bitter wind.

By the time I get to Starbucks (a location near Catey’s office) I am a wet and soggy mess. Great. It is not as though I am trying to impress Catey for a job interview. I just don’t want to scare her off looking like took a dip in the East River. I grab the only empty table and with a handful of napkins I dry my hair and clothes. I really want a coffee to warm the coldness that is settling into my back, but I don’t want to be rude and be drinking my drink when Catey arrive. I glance at my watch; I should have time to drink a small coffee before she gets here. Plus I dislike those people who monopolize tables at Starbucks and don’t at least buy a coffee.

Catey arrives when I have a few sips left. She is tall, slim, and pretty in a very natural, All-American way --- kinda like Jennifer Aniston, but with lighter colored hair. “Please, let me buy you a coffee,” I offer. “No, no – thank you though. I am meeting my boyfriend for dinner.” I feel a little bad, like I should get her something for her willingness to meet me. But she insists she is fine.

We talk a little bit about her job, and the apartment she is buying, and her writing and her process. I am sure she is at least 10 years younger than me and I am in awe of her. She has a job she likes, a man she loves, a passion she fuels, and an apartment she will soon own. I want to be like her, have my shit together.

She tells me about her writing issues, and how hard it is for someone who has never been published and not Kim Kardashian to get published. I already knew this, my agent used to tell me this all the time. But for some reason risks and gambles don’t scare me. The harder the battle, the more I want to win it.

“You need to make sure you have a platform and pitch, separate yourself from others in the marketplace. I was lucky, my agent is amazing – you need to find someone who believes in your work more than you do.” I nod everything she says seems straightforward and normal. I tell Catey about my blog and she nods. “Very good way to get out there.” “You’ll need to put a proposal together, too,” she says. “Can you share yours with me?” I ask. “Sure, of course,” she says. “You are very kind to help me,” I say.

“Isn’t that what it is about? The dream?” Catey asks. I can tell, she “gets” me. So I nod, yes, it is about the dream.