Sometimes you just ask and —wham!— you get. On occasion, even way more than what you expected.

For example, yesterday I looked at a menu and ordered key lime pie (I was at Key West’s Blue Heaven, so it was sort of a must).

Not even that piece of pie could distract me from the vibrant art on the table so I asked the waiter after the artist who did it.

“Sure, Carrie Disrud, she lives a block away from here”, he said. “She’ll be happy to see you”.

Minutes later, I was knock knock knocking on Carrie’s door. Her husband Tom, a tall warm person, led me to the artist, who was grooming her dog.

After the initial greetings and hugs, I asked: “When did you know you were an artist?”

“When did you?” she countered.

I confessed that I’m not, but can surely be described as a very enthusiastic obsessive/compulsive amateur.

Then she uttered words of wisdom: “The best place to start is now”, so we did.

I just happened to have shreds of torn paper (heavy, watercolor, archival grade, of course) in my bag.

We colored and glued them on a square of blank stock while my friend Debbie took pictures of the house, as unique as Carrie’s art.

A couple of hours later, after eating a masterful pizza baked by Tom, I left with our joint effort.

The place to start

It is called —of course— The Best Place to Start is Now.

So just ask for pie. Your life might suddenly change.