A Reason To Live

When I was waiting tables and wondering exactly what it would take to be free from that labor, I served a couple in the middle of their anniversary dinner. I liked them both, particularly as they still seemed to be very much in love. In the course of the evening, they asked if I was married (I was), for how long (12 years), and how my wife and I met. I looked around, saw not much was going on, and told them my story.

It was the story of seeing a girl in a play my senior year in high school and knowing I had to meet her; and falling for her on our first date; and of how she had to move from Providence to Seattle that summer; and how I was devastated, dreaming of her every so often and waking up feeling like she’d left all over again; and how seven years later I was moving to LA to be a screenwriter and called her, and how she was single and I was single; and how nine months later after calling and visiting and calling and visiting I drove up to Seattle and had been there ever since.

When I was done, the husband looked up at me and said, “You give us a reason to live.”

It was probably the greatest compliment anyone had every paid me. Plus, I loved that story; it gave me a reason to live. That, I decided, was what a story ought to do. I thought about the novels I was writing. If I was honest, they didn’t really serve this purpose. They were written to bring me success and get me the hell out of the restaurants – which, admittedly, felt tantamount to saving my life. But it was no reason to tell a story.

My goal for my work since then has been to remind people why life is worth living. This may sound grandiose, but I think it’s just practical. I know firsthand how easy it is to lose sight of why we’re actually here, how it can start feeling as if I always have to acquire something or achieve something or prove something, and how empty the whole endeavor we call living can quickly appear if I believe that fantasy. Frankly, I can’t be reminded enough – whether it’s a story I write, a story I read, or one told to me by a friendly waiter.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Everyone Has What It Takes: A Writer’s Guide to the End of Self-Doubt
You can find William at: williamkenower.com