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In hindsight, remodeling has been a formative component of my life. I hammered and sawed alongside my father helping him rebuild our family home and I have worked in tandem with my husband as we constantly reconstruct our dwellings. I'm not sure I would know what to do with a refined living environment -- each remodel has been a stimulating outlet for my creativity, a lesson in "letting go" and a persistent reminder that life, like my remodel, is tedious and joyful, painful and exhilarating, messy and ultimately worth the work.

When I was twenty-one and eagerly pursuing a career in the music business, I performed throughout the San Francisco area with a Top 40 band. Their musicianship was not stellar, but neither was my rendition of "Proud Mary." Through the band's connections, I was introduced to an A and R man from Mercury Records. After attending a recording session of some of our original material, he called a meeting and, defying the simplest code of civility, arrogantly and maliciously degraded the musicians' abilities. Then, without dropping a beat, he offered me a recording contract as a solo artist. As much as I had dreamt about what this man was offering, I walked away. I could not imagine building a career on such a foundation.

If renown becomes our sole ambition, the temptation toward self-importance may leave relationships by the wayside, our success, bittersweet. I was delighted to learn that not only was Albert Einstein endowed with profound intelligence, but also profound wisdom: "Try not to become a man of success, but rather, try to become a man of value." What greater legacy to leave, as we depart this earth, than to have lived fully and creatively, touching people's lives with our minds and our hearts.

I would imagine that celebrity is a somewhat disorienting reality. Individuals are catapulted into a spotlight so mesmerizing, many are easily convinced of their own exaggerated self-worth. Those aspiring to be stars strive for attention, often burning through relationships and flaunting wealth. Juxtaposed are those aspiring to be artists, who avoid the spotlight and all of its trappings, cherishing privacy and lasting relationships and focusing on unearthing their gifts over a lifetime.

Celebrities who inspire my deepest admiration are those who use their significant influence to make a difference in others' lives: The late Paul Newman and his Hole In The Wall camps, Valerie Harper feeding the homeless, George Clooney working on behalf of victims of atrocities, Brad Pitt helping to rebuild New Orleans one neighborhood at a time.

It is an inspiration to study the lives of creative individuals throughout history, those who blazed a trail. Wisdom transcends time and it never ceases to amaze me how the simplest thought from a great mind can bond us to the eternal human spirit. Ancient history may seem intangible until we realize that, more than two thousand years ago, man struggled with the same conflicts and personal dilemmas we do today:

"He has not acquired a fortune; the fortune has acquired him." (Bion, 325-255 BC)