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Monday, November 25, 2013

How Scott Bakula and I are alike

I have a lot in common with this guy. Not Scott Bakula, the actor (although that would be really awesome because he is obviously a stellar dude). I mean his character, Sam Beckett, from the hit TV show of the early 90s, Quantum Leap. 



You see, Sam used to jump into a different body and time period each week. Now, as a freelance writer, I don't get to jump into anybody's body and I am rarely in a different time period but bear with me. I can make the connection. I do jump into different worlds all the time. And whatever world I am writing about, I soak it all up and sometimes even live in it for awhile. Here are some of the worlds I have had the privilege of leaping into: 

  • Online dating 
  • Battered women
  • Dairy-free people
  • Dave Ramsey
  • Hot yoga
  • Dozens of Texas state parks 
  • Flea markets 
  • Mud runs 
  • Breast cancer 
  • Marriage retreats
  • Children's theater
  • Reiki, acupuncture, reflexology and polarity 
  • Enormous families (meaning they have a lot of people, not that they are fat)
  • Extreme weight loss
  • Hula hooping
  • Holiday cocktails
  • Salsa dancing 
  • Fish oil 
  • Blowing Rock, NC
  • Fencing 
  • Gyrotonics (don't even remember what that is!) 
  • Scottsdale, AZ  
  • Culinary trips 
  • Religious symbols at work 
  • Personal trainers who make house calls 
  • Say Yes to the Dress 
  • Triathlons
  • Barefoot running 
  • Traffic roundabouts 
  • Brain imaging 
(To name a few.) 

While writing these pieces, I am captivated. (One exception? Drought-resistant landscaping). I'm usually like, "Wow. This is amazing. I had no idea hot yoga could be so invigorating, going on a culinary trip could be so life changing and that people could have so many kids and still seem normal." But what my subjects don't always understand is that I am writing an article, usually between 500 and 1,200 words. They often think I am writing a book. They want me to come visit them, spend hours and hours listening to them talk about the subject they are so passionate about. So that is a big part of my job, politely letting them know that I just need the Cliff's Notes. I wonder if Sam Beckett had the same challenge. "Look, I love it here in the Wild Wild West but I can't stay forever. I gottta leap into another world next week." 

For this month I leapt into the world of pawn shops. That was a big leap for me because I had never even been in a pawn shop before. But they didn't disappoint. It's good, fascinating stuff. I'm posting it here so you can leap too: 

2 comments:

GR said...

I read "Buy, Sell or Pawn" and was so inspired that I ran around the house looking for items to pawn: one orthopedic boot; a yoga mat; & two bar stools (brand new, still in the box!) so far.

Writinggal said...

Hmmm...interesting that you want to pawn things that GM likes!