Finding the Foreword in the Past

Yesterday, I received the following plea-for-help e-mail:

Hello Ami,
I was looking for information on how to write a foreward for a book and found your article on "Foreword Thinking -- An Introduction to the Introduction". The last paragraph in your blog article stated, "Tomorrow, I'll discuss how to write one." (a foreward)....

I cannot find your example, and would like to read it, as a friend has asked me to write a foreward for her book. I have never done this before, and I want to to her justice. I thought I could find an outline to follow, but am having no luck. Can you help me? Thank you.

When I responded, I explained I was sorry she couldn't find the related blog article. The original post on foreword writing even had "Foreword" in the title, but it doesn't appear when one tries to "Search this Blog." I don't profess to understand such things.

Since I wrote the original post, Blogger was acquired by Google. For reasons that escape me, nothing in the blog that was written prior to the acquisition is searchable.

In 2005, when I wrote them, the posts on writing forewords received significant response. Quite a few people found themselves in the position yesterday's e-mail writer is now in -- pleased to be asked to write a foreword, wanting to do it justice, and unsure of how to proceed... Writing a Foreword for a book is even a topic on 43 Things. The prevailing theme, however, tends to be "I want to do this, but have no idea how to begin..."

For ease of reference to anyone interested, I reworked the related blog posts into a free article on Foreword Writing. I offer it to all future Foreword writers with my compliments and congratulations. Happy writing!

Taking the Reins

This past week, Newsday magazine published an article on riding that included an interview with Dr. Warson, and included a mention of "The Rider's Pain-Free Back."

Written by Caryn Eve Murray, the article discusses some of the challenges that face people who start riding when they are more "mature." What I especially liked, however, was how often those she interviewed mentioned that riding was a great way for their families to spend quality time together.

I have a dear friend who regularly bemoans the fact that her husband would rather sit and watch TV than do something -- anything -- with his family. He'll watch programs featuring sports he doesn't even like rather than get off the couch and experience his own life.

We've all heard that "no one ever laid on their death bed and said 'I wish I'd spent more time at the office'" spoken as a cautionary tale against workaholics. In the same vein, I believe that no one ever laid on their death bed and wished they'd watched more television or played more video games.

When I'm feeling the final minutes of my life ebb away, some regrets I may experience include:

I wish I'd spent more time learning to play the guitar...
I wish I'd learned to speak French fluently...
I wish I'd read all the books I wanted to read...
I wish I'd written all the screenplays I have in my head...
I wish I'd spent less money on things and spent more on travel...
I wish I'd worked more diligently to get my movies made...
I wish I'd spent more time riding...
I wish I'd played more with my child...

It seems to me that all regrets -- past, present, or future -- stem from choosing inaction over action. Sitting on the sidelines may seem like the easy road. But each life only has a finite supply of moments alloted. And inactivity, laziness, and sloth just leach those moments away.

I am grateful to Ms. Murray for favorably mentioning the book. And I am even more grateful to her for the reminder that every day is an opportunity for me to "Take the Reins" and fill my moments to minimize any regrets that might arise when those moments come to an end.