For my good friend Rebecca’s birthday, I gave her several presents including; her car full of 110 balloons1 when she woke up, her car’s windows covered in happy birthday messages and inside-jokes, a box of Golden Grahams2, a pack of gum, a bottle of bubbles, cupcakes, and most important of all, tickets to see David Sedaris at TPAC. Naturally, she invited me to come with her.

So, Friday night, we enjoyed two hours of David Sedaris reading some hilarious essays. Afterwards, he was signing books in the lobby of the theater, so I bought his newest one while I was there, and we stood in line for an hour and a half. Finally, we approached him, both of us jittery with excitement.

He asked us who to sign the book for and I blurted out, almost rudely, that we were teenagers. He’d told a story that night about bringing little favors for teenagers that come to his signings, and at first he didn’t believe we were really teenagers. I told him, again probably in a rude manner though it was just the excitement getting to me, that we were indeed under 20 and would he want me to show him my license? He gave us both little presents, mine a bottle of shampoo from a hotel, and Rebecca’s was a bar of soap, presumably also from a hotel. He listened with interest3 to me shamelessly plug my single line in the six-word memoir books and my newly published photograph. He told me that Flannery O’Connor had lupus, so I was in good company. I thanked him for his remarks and for the favors, then we left so the 50+ people behind us could get a chance to meet him. I was so happy I had to take photos afterwards.

The book and shampoo:
the book and soap

What he signed:
what he wrote

David Sedaris is a man I admire greatly, and hearing him speak about his book tours and meeting him in person has really inspired me. I have always had a love of words, and therefore of books and writing, but I’ve never considered it an option for a career. And though I still want to be a nurse, I’ve developed a more intense desire to write. I don’t think I would do it for money, but for my love of people and words. If I were to write a few books and end up doing a book tour, I’d meet people who shared that love of words, and who, for some reason, felt connected to what I have to say. So, I’ve decided that someday, somehow, I will end up doing this, if it’s the last thing I do. Keep an eye on the bookshelves, my friends.

1It took 3 hours to blow them up and my cheeks were sore for days, but seeing her reaction was priceless.
2 What? They’re delicious.
3 Or faked interest, who can know?