The Two-Word Heart of You

I met Paulina Porizkova (yes the supermodel) at an event this past month. In 1984, she became the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She was eighteen.

She looks the same.

No, I’m sorry, she’s more beautiful, and more importantly, she hung out at the dinner table, closing the restaurant down, talking to us girlies. She listened, asked questions, and ate french fries by the handful. So did I.

Before I met her that weekend, I was worried we’d be standing together, and someone would take our photo. She’s over six feet, and I joked that I would look like a short hairy thumb next to her.

I told her that, and we laughed. They took a picture of us laughing.

I just looked at it. I do not look like a thumb. You can see for yourself here.

We often describe ourselves in comparison to something—our younger selves, our smarter friends, our more accomplished partners. I’m trying to stop doing that, even in jest.

Later, Paulina asked me why my skin looked so great and who cuts my hair. She said she wanted to take my picture because she thought the photos on my old website didn’t do me justice. (See my new one here.)

I told her I dyed my hair, and she said she did too. She asked the others at the dinner table to describe themselves in two words. When she came to me, I said, “Funny and Sad,” and she took my hand and smiled.

Try describing yourself in two words.

I asked writers recently to talk about their whole book in two sentences and gave a class on it. It’s hard to do. (scroll down for more)

Two words. You. It’s a great exercise, eliminates comparisons, and it’s good to know you—the two-word heart of you.

Let me know what you come up with, friends. I’d love to hear. You can tell me here.

For those of you trying to describe a book, scroll down. There’s something for you here, too. And don’t forget about the contest. That’s down there as well.

xx Ann