48 and 1 are Both Good Numbers

Last Saturday, former US President Jimmy Carter celebrated his 98th birthday! Did you know that Carter is the author of 48 books? Wow! I thought about that while Carter was quietly celebrating at home with his family, as I was putting the finishing touches on my book published on Amazon this week. Carter published his first book in 1975 and the most recent one in 2018 – 43 years for 48 books. Wow! He even authored a fiction book.

I probably will never beat Carter’s record as an author. I just finished authoring my first book, Something More! Yes, writing a book (fiction or nonfiction) is a grueling, process; but it’s also exhilarating. Renowned author Ernest Hemmingway wrote a book with tips about writing. One tip was: “All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Ha ha ha! 

I was just a youngster when Carter served as our 39th President; so I was far more interested in playing ball with my friends and teasing my sister in those days.  But I’ve followed his public activities after his White House years with a lot of interest because he focuses much of his time on pursuing activities that enable other people to have a fulfilling life. And as I wrote in Something More!, he says that makes his life more meaningful. Those same pursuits are why I wrote my first book and why I look forward to writing the next books in this series.

Is there something you’ve always to do but never started? Can you take a first step in that direction this week?

© 2022. Amrit P. Kirpalani. All Rights Reserved.