Life is so weird. You have all of these things that you want to do and be when you grow up. And they change so much. You start by wanting to be a famous musician, or an actor or actress, or a police officer, or a teacher, or a doctor, or a nanny--you want to do all kinds of things. And then you grow up a little, and you want to work for the FBI, you want to be a professor, you want to be a dermatologist, you want to own a day care. And then you grow up a little more, and you don't want to do any of those things. But you kind of still do, too. You want to do something big and important and be something big and important, but you got a salary job and a car payment, and you have an electric bill to pay, and the hobbies that were your dreams disappear, because you just have to make ends meet. You tell yourself you don't have time to do the things you love, and make the dreams that you've had all of your life come true, yet you spend every spare second on Netflix, or drinking coffee with friends, or fucking sleeping. You tell yourself that what you have is enough. You tell yourself that you'll be happy enough with what you have, because at least I'm making it. But if you were to tell the girl or the boy that was you as a kid, that you would just "give up" one day because life got too "real", and you were so busy being a fucking adult, you would slap yourself silly, because that's bullshit.

Everyone has wanted to be something big at some point. About all of us forget about that. We settle, because we tell ourselves that we don't have the time, and we're happy enough where we're at, and it's too damn expensive. But life's too damn short. No job, no house, no car, no amount of money is worth living a life that you wouldn't have smiled at as a kid. Nothing is worth putting aside what you have always wanted to be. 

Don't settle. Don't tell yourself whatever you have is good enough. Don't just dream, do it. You'll always regret the chances you didn't take, and the big things you didn't go for, and you'll never smile about settling for whatever, just because it was OK for everybody else. Please don't play it safe. 

This is a topic that I would like to talk about, because I feel like it's gotten an exorbitant amount of hype lately. It is the topic of the fan girl. If you follow me on my social media, you probably know that I'm a fan of a lot of things. I like talking about the things I love, because I think that if you pay attention to things, spend time on them, and appreciate them, why not talk about them? It helps define who you are, and it gives hype to whatever it is you love.

​So here are eight things I fan girl over.

1. The 1975: I'm determined that this band is the best band of our generation. In fact, I could probably do an entire blog post on The 1975. Actually, I could absolutely write a whole post on this band. So instead of an explanation as to why I love and fangirl over them, I'll talk about that next, and just tell you here that YOU'RE AWESOME AND YOU SHOULD LOVE THEM, TOO.

2. Gary Vaynerchuk: I aspire to be like "Gary Vee." (That even rhymed. Eh, EH?!) I love that he started from nothing and has built multiple million dollar businesses, totally believes in "the hustle," doing amazing, big things, and the potential of people. I absolutely believe that he's going to change the way we interact as a people, and his influence will broaden even more than it already has. If you want to know the next social media and marketing trends, you should certainly be following this guy.

3. Books: OK, so I have a great reason for this, and it's because I'm a writer, and also because reading (or audiobooks if that's how you roll) can lend peace, wisdom, and the chance to live a million lives. Now I know that may sound silly to those of you who aren't book fans, but the idea of fresh pages, and new books on a shelf makes me smile. Think of the hours invested into bookstores and the pages that live in them. I fan over books, because they remind me of something that I want to be someday (not a book, but a successful author, heh), and the millions of ideas that float around in the amazing minds of every person you share breath with. Think about it. 

4. Traveling: The world is such an amazing, huge place, and the thought of not exploring it makes me sick. The thought of exploring it, though? Incredible. I'm always posting about traveling, or places I'd like to go, because I want to partake in as much of this huge, blue and green place as I can. That's something to fan about.

5. Charlie Puth: I was a "fan before he was famous" of Charlie Puth, and knew how to pronounce his last name before people were mispronouncing it (It's pronounced  "Pooth," just fyi). I think that Charlie's a very talented musician, and I love his mentality. Follow this guy.

6. Hozier: *Sigh*. Please just come play a show in the states, Mr. Hozier?

7. Music in general: I love the arts, and I'm obsessed with music. I love new musicians, old musicians, in-between musicians, and everything that comes with the "concert scene." I feel most alive when I'm at a show, and I can't help but fan about that.

8. Up-and-coming awesome people: The idea of young people (or just people in general, really) reaching their potential and getting out and doing big things gets me ridiculously excited. Do you know of any other awesome up-and-coming people that I can fan over?! I know a bunch of 'em here: CLICK TO SEE AWESOME PEOPLE. 
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I could go on, however those are some of the top things that make me super excited about life, and how awesome it is. What do you fan about? 


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Twitter:@Elysia_Regina
Website: elysiaregina.com
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Being a new member of the Charleston, South Carolina community means all kinds of new opportunities. One of these opportunities happened to be DIG SOUTH. "DIG SOUTH Innovation Conference is the first and foremost event elevating the South’s digital economy. Produced by DIG SOUTH and held annually in Charleston, the Conference welcomes 2500+ attendees, 150+ high-level speakers, 100+ investors, and national touring bands. DIG SOUTH Innovation Conference is where leading global brands such as Facebook, Buzzfeed, CNN and IBM connect to the region’s most successful companies and the smartest scalable startups." 

I ended up getting a media pass for the event, which means awesome event privileges and behind-the-scenes action. I had an INCREDIBLE time, met amazing people, and learned so much. My goal with DIG SOUTH was to get the perspective of a young person working in the business world. For those of you who don't know what else I do besides write (Currently in the process of getting a book traditionally published!), I also own and operate two clothing lines. Inspire Thread Company, which inspires shirts after up-and-coming young professionals, and The Follow Me Company, where you can advertise yourself, whether a business or a personal brand, in your every day life. So without further what-this-is-about, here's an overview of my three days at the DIGSOUTH Innovation Conference.

​

Day one consisted mostly of pitches by businesses and awesome elite investor keynotes. The Venture Keynote was a highlight of the day, run by Paul Singh, who is a co-founder of 500 startups, and has been a part of investing in over 1,500 companies in 50 countries. 

Paul talked about tech and its high level of importance. He discussed AOL, stating that it was "One company that changed the face of the town...every city has its own 'AOL'", basically a business that changes the face of the city or town that it was created in. I know AOL is to Google, what Myspace it to Facebook, but it was a key part of the culture in its starting city, believe it or not.

His key advice was that "the best way to build a better company is to learn how other businesses are working." In regards to the Charleston area... "Every city has the same growth capabilities." Also the fact that MOBILE IS TAKING OVER THE WORLD. To those people that haven't yet mobile-optimized their websites and products...it has to be done. Now. 

Today is basically the best day to get started in a business, because there has been a 99% reduction in startup costs since 1995. It used to cost about $5 million dollars to get going on a new company, and now the typical cost is $5K. This is a REALLY exciting point, because it means that the average person is now able to start their own business. The American dream is coming true world wide.

Web is getting bigger, and the world is getting smaller. Companies are growing faster than ever.

Another point that Paul hit on, is that transparency is everywhere. This one really stood out to me, because it's a main point at The Follow Me Company. Being transparent in your business practices and image is KEY to success. People want to see that there are people behind a company.  So act that way.

A key question to ask yourself regarding your business, that is petty much indispensable...

"What have you done so far? What are your competitors doing?" Asking yourself that question will help you figure out where you're going wrong (if you are), and how you can improve. 

The next section of my day was The Cohort 5 Pitch, presented by the Harbor Entrepreneur Center, based in Charleston, SC. This was one of my favorite events of the day. Basically, ten different startups pitched their businesses to top investors, and competed for a $5,000 prize. The companies that competed were Wavve, The Scholarship System, eScout, StockAid, and RAAD, among others. The investors were Sig Moseley (Sig is currently the record holder of the largest southeast venture deal with the $5.7 billion acquisition of Tradex by Ariba.), Michael Kane, and Steve Parker.

The Scholarship System won first prize, but the other competitors all have amazing companies that I would highly suggest you check out! The CEO and founder of The Scholarship System is Jocelyn Pearson who embodies "lady boss". She's highly intelligent, and one of the brightest young entrepreneurs, and people in general, that I have ever met!

I also got to go to a couple awesome "after event events", including THE INVESTOR BASH and the UPLOAD SHINDIG, featuring some awesome music from Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics

The opening keynote featured one of the most inspiring and accomplished people I've ever heard speak. Robert Swan is the first man in history to walk to both the North and South Poles. On Both expeditions, he experienced firsthand, the effects of environmental damage on the Polar icecaps, thus shaping Swan's lifetime goal - to work for the preservation of the Antarctic as the last great wilderness on earth. He since founded 2041, an organization dedicated to this goal. 

Today, Robert Swan compares his icy experiences to boardroom maneuvers and his inspirational addresses have received the acclaim of discerning audiences worldwide.

​Robert spoke on "Leadership on the edge."

On Robert Swan's expedition to the South Pole, him and his team were alone in the Arctic for one year, without any outside connection. They lived in complete darkness in an outside hut, experiencing  -83 degree days, and all they used for direction were the sun, a sexton, and a watch. They had to find one building somewhere in the Arctic--a place the size of the entire U.S--and they were the only people there.

I can't even get to the grocery store across the street without a GPS.

Jack Custo was Robert's patron, and he helped him raise money for the expedition. During the trip, Swan lost 69 pounds.
Their ship sank five minutes before they arrived at the pole, and they had no insurance. If this doesn't tell you how much perseverance Robert has, I don't know what will. In other words, they arrived at the small building with no way to get back. Robert said that at this point, he realized the importance and weight of leadership. He said to "Think carefully before you make a commitment, because you have to follow through with it." Robert isn't one to give up. If you don't follow through... "Who will believe you a second time?" Robert, after negotiations and stressful circumstances, was able to get him and his crew back with help from the U.S. 

"Do what you say you're going to do. It builds a track record." 

Robert's expedition to the North Pole took 56 days, and people from 7 different nations accompanied Swan on the trip. 

Robert's expeditions have show him that his mission in life is to help keep the Arctic clean and preserve it. He has helped recycle 3,000 miles of solid waste from the Arctic in only 8 years, creating a massive positive impact on the area and the great wilderness, reversing Arctic melt. 
​

Most likely my favorite event of the entire conference was this one. Walrus has always been a marketing company that I admired and drew from, and being able to hear Deacon speak live about advertising avenues and how to market was a highlight of the entire conference.

Just a few points to consider about today's marketing world...

- General Mills is spending $10 million on mobile media for their new launch. What does this mean for advertisers? There is more money than ever put into mobile avenues, and we need to put as much value as possible on that
- Media/marketing has changed a LOT, and we need to follow these changes, and not market like it's 2000
- There's no longer a barrier to entry

One of the most incredible marketing campaigns EVER, in my opinion, is what Walrus did for Maloney & Porcelli, a NYC Midtown Restaurant. With a $10k budget, Walrus managed to get this businesses 38.9 million impressions, and a 15% increase in reservations, using expensesteak.com. Basically, they helped business people and Maloney & Porcelli regulars expense their $900 (or so, or less) meals. The campaign made nationwide news, and was marked as one of "The sexiest marketing campaigns ever." If you can make advertising sexy, I'd say you've hit your mark.

Deacon's main advice was to "be willing to take risks in marketing." His company focuses on taking risks, which creates viral marketing campaigns. AKA using Kevin Bacon in an ad for home-fix-it stores.  

Brooks Buffington is super inspiring to me, being a fellow young entrepreneur. He spoke on operating as a millennial and advertising to millennials, and the to-do and not to-dos of the millennial marketing world. I was really excited for this event, and it was a packed. 

Brooks Buffington founded Yik Yak in 2013. After passing up a career in finance in favor of app development, which he was drawn to because of the power and reach that apps have in a world where nearly everyone has smartphones. Brooks and Tyler created Yik Yak because they wanted to let people instantly be connected with the community around them. Today, Yik Yak is popular on over 1,600 colleges and university campuses. Brooks is originally fro Atlanta, Georgia. He is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking and camping, and whose love of the outdoors took him to Africa to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

Some key points of his speech...

"Millennials are impatient and in the moment." AKA, be brief. If you want to catch a millennial's attention with your businesses, then don't post a long ad, and don't be boring. 

When Brooks and co-founder Tyler Droll were launching Yik Yak, they knew that they had to create something immediate. Yik Yak was the answer. 

He said that "with millennials, you have to be willing to do what no one else is willing to do."

A main point being, BE PERSONAL.
-Millennials love experiences.
-Make everything an experience, and make it special.
​-Be authentic! "Millennials can smell BS from a mile away." 

"THE ECONOMY OF THE NEXT FIFTY YERAS WILL BE LED BY CUSTOMER SERVICE."

Peter Shankman is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, speaker, and worldwide connector.

Here are some key quotes from this high-energy, amazing entrepreneur. 

"Keep trying new shit." Yep.
"Fail as much as humanly possible." Because enough failure, and you'll (I mean, hopefully) reach success.
"Understand your audience." This couldn't be more important! Know who you're selling and marketing to. Know your audience, and know them well. They will determine your success.

- We're in the age of the customer economy. Let other people sing your praise, instead of singing your own. Be known, not because of how you talk about yourself, but by what people see that you do. It's the ol', actions speak louder than words topic.

"Have a plan for when you succeed, and when it [your business] goes viral." BRAND EVERYTHING YOU DO. Peter couldn't stress enough how important this is. What happens when you craft a piece of content, and you don't brand it with something? No one will know it was you, and you won't gain anything from the piece. Brand, brand, brand.

"It is impossible to lie." Screw up? Own up to it. This leads back to the point that transparency is everything. 

Here's some more helpful, totally usable advice from Peter:

1.) How do you know what people want? Ask them, "What can we do better?"
2.) Take an improv class. Learn how to talk to people and be more confident.
3.) Ask... "How can I help you?" "Stop focusing on likes, and start doing more likable things." ​I LOVE this point.

that, take a break, and post more content. You'll be put to the top of the person's feed again!
- Post content that ads value for people
- Want to stand out? Make really unique content! This was a stand-out point from Shonduras. If you want people to follow you, then the content must be stellar.
- Add color
- The more you have on your story, the higher the attention
- Make people curious
- Don't just "post to post" Post great content

Hopefully you guys know how much of a super fan I am of Gary Vaynerchuk. If you don't know who he is, here he is in a nutshell:

Gary Vaynerchuk build businesses. Fresh out of college he took his family wine businesses and grew it form a $4M to a $60M business in just five years. Now he runs VaynerMedia, one of the world's hottest digital agencies. Gary is The New York Times best-selling author of Crush It!, The Thank You Economy and Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook. Along the way, he became a prolific angel investor and venture capitalist, investing in companies like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Uber, and Birchbox before eventually co-founding VaynerRSE, a $25M angel fund. Gary also currently hosts the #AskGaryVee Show, a way of providing as much value as possible by taking questions about social media, entrepreneurship, startups, and family businesses and giving his answers based on a lifetime of building successful, multi-million dollar companies. The show is also available as a podcast. Gary is also a prolific public speaker, delivering keynotes at events like Le Web, an SXSW, which you can watch on his YouTube channel. He was named to both Fortune and Crain "40 under 40" lists in consecutive years, and has been profiled in The New York Times, Fortune and Inc. 

For Gary's keynote, I focused on listening rather than writing, AKA living in the moment. I had seen Gary speak before in Vegas, and drew new content from this keynote, which was totally indispensable. It was a sort of "unplugged" style keynote, and, as always, Gary was laid back, he spit fire, and was purely awesome. You would seriously benefit from checking out his keynotes on YouTube.

OH, and did I mention that I finally met him?! He's super down to earth, and was totally willing to retake the photo when I screwed up. 

I had an amazing time at DIG SOUTH, learned an unfathomable amount, and met a ton of really incredible people. Here are some wrap-up photos:

Instagram: @Elysia_Regina
Twitter:@Elysia_Regina
Website: elysiaregina.com
Facebook: @officiallelysiaregina
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​Since 2012, which was the year that I created my Twitter account, and even before that when I had just started my original blog, JustaTeenWriting, social media has been a huge part of my life. It sounds silly to say that, because of course it has been--social media is a big part of most anyone from 18-30 years old's lives, and then many younger and older than that (statistics just say that the majority of people on social media are between those ages). When I say that it's been a huge part of my life, though, I don't just mean that I check my Facebook feed often, or respond to my friends on Snapchat every day. Social media has been a tool to spread my writing, my thoughts, and my business (Inspire Thread Company). However there's something about social media that I also hate, and it's the absorbing feeling that it sometimes has on you. I'm sure that not everyone feels this way, but sometimes when you focus so much on something, like growing a following on social media and spreading your brand, you can become too consumed with that. Hence my social media hiatus.

It's a love-hate relationship. I would never want to give up my platform, because I so love that I get to connect with you all here and meet people from around the world through a cellphone or laptop screen, but sometimes social media can crush you, and that's the adverse effect of what it should be. Over the past few months, I realized that I had become too consumed with social media, and that I didn't want something to have more control over my time than I did, and social media was becoming that. So being a person that 100% believes in their control over their own life and their own thoughts, I decided to take a week break (well, five days, because I couldn't QUITE take it for a week) from all social media platforms. 

I immediately deleted all of my social media apps from my phone, and logged out of any social media accounts on my laptop. This was a good thing, because the first day of my break, I--out of habit--tried to check my Instagram account. No luck, it was gone!

In the meantime, catch up with me on my other social places:

Instagram: @Elysia_Regina
Twitter:@Elysia_Regina
​Snapchat: @elysialou 
Website: elysiaregina.com

OH, AND I FINALLY GOT APUBLIC FACEBOOK PAGE!! I would so appreciate it if y'all headed over there and gave it a like!

Facebook.com/officialelysiaregina

Books can be expensive. Some books are $10.00, but others are $30.00. I've often heard people complain about the prices of books, and wonder why they're so expensive. I've also gotten laughed at for spending an outrageous amount of money on paper and words. (But what book nerd can go to a book store and buy just ONE book?!) 

So why are they so expensive, and why don't I mind dolling out the cash? Keep readin'.

​

An average hardcover book will cost you around $20. But what goes into what's between those covers? Here's a short list:

1.) The Author's Work

How long does it actually take to write a book? A long freaking time. The current novel I'm publishing took about two and a half years. That's including editing, which took the majority of the time. I wrote the first draft in about four months. The time between then and two years later was editing...a lot of it. Of course, I love every moment of it, but it is a lot of work, and it takes a lot of writers longer than it took me, because everyone writes at a different pace. To me, an author's work alone is worth whatever a book costs.

2.) The Publisher's Work...and Time...and Money...and Awesomeness

Think for a moment about what's in a book. It's not just words. It's formatting and design and everything in between (literally). There are editors, agents, artists, marketing experts, and many more people to pay. If it takes a village to raise a child, then it takes a town to raise a book. 

Although I could go on and on about why books are worth their price, just think about it this way: Imagine you had put years into a project, and then you only asked $20 for people to experience what you did while writing it, and the story you created--do you think it would be worth it?

​#PromoteWriters

Until next time, you lovely people! 

Connect with me!!

Instagram: @Elysia_Regina
Twitter:@Elysia_Regina
​Snapchat: @elysialou 
Website: elysiaregina.com

The sisters and I then traveled toSesame Burger in Mt. Pleasant, and had some absolutely delicious nachos and sliders. OH, and chocolate milkshakes. How could I forget those!?

The next day was the big day of panels and signings, where I met Carrie Ryan, author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth (If you want a GREAT zombie book, read that one),Scott Westerfeld, author of Uglies, Marie Lu, artist and author of Legend, andAaron Hartzler, author of What We Saw. Cool story about Aaron: 

Aaron had met my blogging parter at PlotBrownies.com, friend and fellow novelist Matt Keenan at TTBF (Teen Texas Book Fest), so it was really great to be able to meet him, too! Aaron is super friendly and really talented. 

Besides the author signings, I also attended a bunch of great panels. My favorite was Gale Foreman's Creativity & Jealousy & Fear & Success with  Marie Lu, Libba Bray, Margaret Stohl, Daniel Handler, and Scott Westerfeld. Just the lineup itself sounds amazing, right? It was sort of like an inside peek at what goes on in the industry in Hollywood, and what successful authors have for insecurities and what the path to fame looks like. 

The night ended with a YA Smackdown where the authors competed in games like Hollywood Squares and Taboo. A select few also read juvenilia, AKA writings from their younger days, which was entirely entertaining. Alexander London, author of Proxy, also sang a death metal song from his made-up death metal frog band from his youth. I don't think I need to tell you how funny that was. 
​

And last but absolutely not least, I met a bunch of amazing people in line! That was acutally one of my favorite parts. I love to meet new people, and especially when they're book lovers like myself. And holy was Charleston beautiful!
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After the conference, my sisters and I drove home and talked a ton about our incredible time in the historic city. I can't wait until YALLfest next year, and am considering going to their sister conference in California, YALLwest. 

As far as current reads...I have most recently read Across the Universe by Beth Revis, Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon, It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, The Martian by Andy Weir, and The Girl From Felony Bay by J. E. Thompson. I'm currently reading Proxy by Alexander London.

Did you go to YALLfest this year? Tell me how it was! And catch up with me on social media...

Instagram: @Elysia_Regina
Twitter:@Elysia_Regina
Website: elysiaregina.com

Hello, everybody! So on Saturday me, my twin sister Megan, and my oldest sister and her husband are going on a cruise, and I'm SO excited. We're going to Tortola, St. Maarten, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and San Juan. We leave from New York City, so we have to drive about EIGHT HOURS to get there. It's okay, though, because I'm a big fan of road trips. 

Anyway...

I did a book haul for the trip, since I'll have lots of reading time while chilling on the balcony of the ship or on a sandy beach (Yes, I'm trying to make you jealous. You're welcome.).

I bought mostly Kindle books because my Kindle is much easier to transfer than a bunch of hardcovers, but I am bringing a few JUST IN CASE. Sometimes I don't trust my kindle, and I don't want to be stranded without books for ten days. I know, this makes me a total nerd.

Here's the list!

1. Everything, Everything. (This is my current read, and one of the hardcovers that I'm bringing.)
2. A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning. (I got this one, because Lemony Snicket is going to be at YALLfest in November!)
3. The Girl from Felony Bay. (Also a YALLfest author.)
4. The Martian (SO excited about this one! I'm waiting to watch the movie until I've read the book.)
5. It's Kind of a Funny Story
6. Child 44
7. The Weight of Feathers. (My last hardcover.)

That's it! Guessing that those will be plenty for the trip, but do you guys have any suggestions?

Let me know in the comments, or tweet at me! @Elysia_Regina

 Hi guys! Here's a quick update on things...

I am currently and FINALLY seeking representation by a literary agent for my newest completed manuscript. It will be two years in November that I have been working on this one, and I am beyond excited to be querying agents. I have also started up a writing blog with my friend Matt Keenan. We're currently posting chapters of our story, We Keep On, on Tuesdays and Fridays. The blog is called Plot Brownies, because our stories are short and sweet! Check it out here: PlotBrownies.com 

I am also back into the swing of college life, and enjoying it again this semester! If you're curious, I attend the University of Maine, and am majoring in Business Marketing. 

Lastly, I am working on my seventh novel, and am about 15,000 words into it now. For those of you who don't speak in word count, that's approximately 60 pages in book form. This novel is more on the contemporary side than anything I've written before, but has a spin of thriller in it. I'm SO excited about this one, and can't wait to see where it goes.

Now that you're all updated... today's post is a short story! I don't think that I've ever posted any of my fiction on here, so this is something TOTALLY different from anything I've posted in the past. It's a story I wrote a few months ago (when I say few, I mean like six). I was going to submit it to magazines for publication, but decided to put it here for you all to read for free! Without further ado, enjoy The White Bench on the Left, a story that I hope will make you smile. 

     I drove past it every day. To school, back from school, to the store with Mom, back to the house with Mom. It was a white bench that wrapped around a tree. It was the kind of bench that you could sit on and someone could hide from you on the other side. I always hoped that the old man would be there. He wore a white bucket hat and was always painting, unless he was mowing the lawn, which he would do in shorts that came about a foot above his knees. But I always hoped that he’d be painting, perhaps something beautiful. I’d put my nose to the window and breathe in the air that smelt like barbeques and freshly cut grass, and watch the old painting man. He’d sit on that white wraparound bench with blue, red, and green paints spread across a pallet. The back of his easel would stare at me, and I always wondered what he was painting.
     Winter seemed much sadder than the summer, because the old man with the paints and the bucket hat didn’t sit outside, and his lawn wasn’t mowed, and I couldn’t dream about what kinds of things he was painting. By the time the sunny season rolled onto the calendar, I had all but forgotten about the old man, but then there he would be, painting away, adding a few wrinkles to the collection on his face. I once asked Mom if we could stop and talk to the old man. She told me that we couldn’t, because she had errands to run and things to do, and we didn’t want to bother an old man, because his time and his paintings were none of our business. I am going to tell you that I was not one to question, nor disobey my mother. I came home when I was supposed to, I didn’t sneak out when I got older, and I ate all of my vegetables, even if they happened to be brussel sprouts and peas. However, when it came to the old man with the bucket hat and the paintbrush, I couldn’t let the idea of him get away. Going to the old painting man was the first and nearly the last time I ever disobeyed my mother.
     It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon, and I was supposed to be biking to my piano lesson. I was eight years old, and my instructor was close enough that I could bike to her, but not close enough to walk to. My mother was gone running her errands—probably picking up more brussel sprouts and peas, I’m sure I thought—and she wouldn’t be back until just before dinner. I was scheduled to leave at 1:15 to get to my lesson on time, and instead I left at 12:50. I buckled on my black helmet, pulled on my white sneakers, and biked my pink bicycle to the old man with the bucket hat. The sun beat down on my freckled shoulders as I biked, the sounds of birds chirping and cars speeding past me an orchestra in the summer air. I could feel my heart thumping in my chest, more at the notion of disobeying my mother than at actually meeting the old man. I nearly biked right past his house, but felt a burst of courage at the last moment and pulled my breaks. Dust flew up behind my back wheel as I skidded to a halt, and I nearly toppled over, catching myself at the last moment. The old man looked up at me over the easel, the paintbrush paused in his hand. He waved with his other hand, and I waved back. The moment of truth, the saying second: To go, or not to go? I put my kickstand down, looked behind me to make sure that Mom hadn’t followed me, and walked right up to the old man.