Which job was best? Over a period of 20+ years I managed 100s of complex multi-million dollar architectural design projects from conception through construction. These involved tens of thousands of people in 300 US cities, millions of details and billions of dollars worth of assets. It was exhilarating, glamorous, challenging, arduous, creative and fun. And requires the ability to see the macro; order all the sequential and multi-dependent layered micro steps; stay within budget, and move everything to a known and timely conclusion. It doesn’t hurt to pull it off in high heels and a Chanel suit. The head injury accident that stopped me cold, ended my career and left me with permanent injuries is the ‘signature’ injury of the Iraq war. I have tremendous empathy for the difficult recovery our GIs face, instead of being out downhill skiing, playing golf and tennis, jogging, sailing, dancing, jumping horses…all the things I did with relish, and to lose income. I stopped counting at $700K. I needed to a new career so while recuperating decided to write a book on social, environmental and political justice. It was frustrating to not remember the first sentence in a paragaph by the time I wrote the fourth. I was shaken by the inability to express myself or to know when, or if, I’d improve. My neurologist said keep writing. Repetitive tasks allow the brain to rewire itself. Since my research was terrific but the writing sucked I sent the MSS to high profile political/environmental activists to use without attribution and also used it to win a grant for the UCLA writing program. I finished the usual 3-year program in 18 months with 4.2 GPA by working 100 hours a week, and in the program wrote a novel. Fellow students and instructors were my focus group and incredibly helpful. The UCLA film classes I took as electives helped in structuring my book like a film. And my final film class project was chosen as an example of student excellence, which landed the opportunity to write a master story for an Emmy winning composer of major film scores. He’d worked with all the greats, like Katherine Hepburn, and great Hollywood writers. He said that I’d delivered what I promised, “And that doesn’t happen very often. Thank you. Thank you.” A mega-award coming from him. So of all those 100s of projects, this last book is my favorite. Since my 5th cranial nerve was permanently damaged, it always feels as if the side of my head was just hit. A constant reminder that right now is the time to help save the environment and end the war. An acquisitions editor called my adventure-romance novel a ‘wickedly funny roller-coaster’ where the characters enact a daring plot to save the planet. I thought my life was over, instead a new one began. I hope that can be the outcome of so many in Iraq, and for the world.