Producer by Wendy Walker Read Free Book Online

had never wanted anything more, but I couldn’t invite Joe Kennedy up to my house where my friends were having a Wendy Went
     to the Kennedys’ for Dinner party. It would look so lame. Instead, I kissed him one more time, thanked him, and reluctantly
     headed toward my apartment. When I turned to catch a glimpse of the back of his car disappearing down the street, I noticed
     something lying on the road. I walked back to find Joe’s navy blazer that had fallen out of the car when I got out. I picked
     it up and thought, “This is a great souvenir of one of the most amazing nights of my life.”
    When I finally got inside, blazer in hand, my friends were all over me, wanting to know every little detail of what we ate,
     who was there, and how I liked Joe. I told them how the people looked, what they wore, what was served, and how queer my clothes
     were. When I finally got into bed, I looked at the navy blazer sitting on the chair beside my bed. I decided I would frame
     it with the caption, “I had one date with Joe Kennedy and all I got was this lousy blazer.” Then I laughed myself to sleep.
    Now I had a great albeit a bit embarrassing story to tell, but little did I know, it wasn’t over. The night after the dinner
     party at Hickory Hill, I got back from the gallery and ate a light supper with my roommates. Three of us girls were hanging
     out in the living room and I had on a horrible flannel nightgown with lace around the neck, granny-style. We were enjoying
     a relaxing evening, knitting, crocheting, and gossiping about men. A total loser kind of night…
    Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I jumped up and threw the door open to see Joe Kennedy standing there, smiling at me. “Hi,” he
     said, “sorry to bother you, but did you find my blazer? I think it fell out of the car when I was dropping you off.”
    “Yeah,” I said, returning his smile in spite of myself. “I found it in the street. Just wait a minute.” I took off toward
     my bedroom, granny gown and all, got the blazer I was going to frame, and handed it to him.
    “Thanks so much,” he said, turned around, and he was gone.
    I closed the door and headed back to the couch, picked up my knitting and thought,
First it was the Alice in Wonderland gray knit with the pearls, and now I’m in the mother of all granny nightgowns. Too bad
     Joe Kennedy will never know how way cool I really am.

BE SOMEONE OTHERS WANT TO BE AROUND
    We’re all attracted to people who are lively, stimulating, and fun to be with—the ones who see the glass half full. Don’t
     you like being with someone who makesyou laugh, treats others with kindness, and is funny and engaging? This kind of person is
doing
things in life as opposed to people who are not, and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell the difference.
    Close your eyes right now, and think about two people you love to be around. Now think of two people you would
not
want to sit beside at a dinner party. We all know the type—they talk only about themselves, their energy is negative, and
     all they do is tell you about their problems. Do you want to be that kind of person, the one who gets your place card switched
     at a dinner party because no one wants to sit next to a complainer? Wouldn’t you rather be the one whose place card gets switched
     because everyone wants you at their table?
    When I was in the most painful part of my divorce, I spoke with Arianna Huffington, politico and founder of the Huffington
     Post. Having just survived a public divorce of her own, she told me, “People don’t want to hear about my pain. So I don’t
     talk about it.”
    I got the same lesson from Nancy Reagan when Larry and I had dinner with her one evening after her husband had passed away.
    Larry asked her, “How are you doing?”
    “I don’t talk about it,” she said.
    “Why not?” Larry said.
    “Because no one wants to hear about someone else’s sorrow,” she said.
    So this was even true for Nancy Reagan who