Anything you can do, I can do better

Recently someone told me that I was not a good writer and that I could therefore not write a book. Well, as someone who has read a lot of books and happens to know a fair amount about the subject, I think I can safely say two things: anyone can write a book and I can do anything I put my mind to. Some may argue that these statements are exaggerations, but I am sticking to my guns. Ever browsed the new releases section in Barnes & Nobles? It is full of crap. Alongside the classics lie atrocities such as “Here’s the Situation: A Guide to Creeping on Chicks, Avoiding Grenades, and Getting in Your GTL on the Jersey Shore” by Michael Sorentino, beach reads about romance and infidelity and any book by Danielle Steel. These books do not deserve a place on the same shelves that provide a home to “Oliver Twist” and “The Great Gatsby.” That being said, anyone can write a book – it just may very well be a crappy one.

As children we are taught that we can do anything that we want and grow up to be whoever we want to be. Our future is ours to mold. We all have dreams as little kids: to be a ballerina or a fireman or the President. As we grow up our ideas change and we may decide that we want to do something else, but we still have the notion in our minds that we are capable of anything. The world is ours to conquer. Do you think Barack Obama’s parents told him he would never make it to be the first African American president? No. So why tell me I can’t do something as simple as write a book if that is something I feel I want to do. So, since this is a petty game, I am going to retaliate to your comment with this: I could write a book if I wanted. And it would rock. It would be better than your book… to borrow a line from “Annie Get Your Gun:”

“Anything you can do, I can do better… I can do anything better than you.”

Happy December to all - and to all a good night.