At one of the many parties held during TED Global 2009, I found myself talking to folks next to a skeleton of a dinosaur - a Tyrannosaurus Rex - pictured here. Someone had set their wine glass at his feet. Another had draped a jacket over his “knee” or whatever its called. The idea of this creature roaming, destroying and killing people and things thousands of years ago - and his/her skeleton now serving as a backdrop for a glass of wine and a coat-rack just fascinated me more than I can ever say. I’m sure it will enthrall others as well, thus the watermark on the photo.

The juxtaposition of things that are not related, but related, has long served the advertising community well. It grabs our attention. It intrigues us. It’s like my living in my van (thanks for asking, the weather recently has been marvelous and very comfortable to sleep in. I have only used the heater one night all week), and being a full-time writer. It seems really odd to some people - like the wine glass and the dinosaur did to me.

People write nearly every day and ask if I’m still living in the van, if I like living in the van, if I plan to move out of the van. And I have to say yes. I am still living in the van. I love living in the van, and I do plan to move out of the van when I can find a place that will take Rottweilers. But I’m in no rush.

I want my own apartment - just for heat/cold control and more space, but I do like the van - a lot, and for a lot of reasons. When I have money, I can travel. I can see places I want to see, do things I want to do, and really love the whole experience. When money is tight, it’s not as much fun. It means sleeping in Wal-Mart’s, eating peanut butter and jelly and not driving every day. Kind of like living in an apartment really except for the Wal-Mart thing.

Writers have almost always lived in poverty, or in garages or hovels while they waited to “make it big.” Check under the “How-to” tab on my website for “Famous Homeless People” and you’ll see what I mean. If you’ve ever lived in a van, car, shelter - you know why it propels you to produce!!

For those who live in their vans (thousands of us do actually), van dwelling is no big deal. It’s a home. Van dwellers make a living doing construction, IT (Information technology), painting murals, as virtual assistants, writers, photographers, dog trainers and musicians, bartenders and waitresses.

Others are drug dealers, hookers and whatever…just like folks who live in apartments and houses. Our “dwelling” doesn’t really define what we do for a living. I know of celebrities who live in mansions who are way further south of the law than most van dwellers.

The point I’m trying to make is, who you are, is who you are. It’s not about where you live, what you look like. I’m a very good writer. I have ghost written for some very well-known celebrities (sorry, my non-disclosure agreement or NDA won’t let me name them).

Having been inside the homes and lives of many “famous” people, I can assure you - we’re all human - even the most famous of us. Some of us just get more camera and media time than others. If you haven’t been living in a cave, you’ve heard about Tiger Woods car accident. Check the news. Celebrities are constantly being bailed out of jail, getting divorced, fighting, going bankrupt, looking for work, committing suicide and whatever. Their fame and fortunes don’t insulate them from life. They get old. They get sick. They suffer. Just like a lot of us.

Whether you live in a mansion, or a van, or an apartment, or a tree house - doesn’t matter. We all deal with the same issues - money, relationships, work, health, self-esteem, and family. When those issues get really, really difficult, then we also deal with the issue of “homeless.”

But we are MORE than where we live. With the holiday’s here, remember that. If you volunteer at a soup kitchen you’ll see a lot of homeless with issues. But if you look around your office and talk to co-workers I guarantee you’ll find a lot of them have the same problems too. Many worry about becoming homeless, being left (divorce or break-up), or finding someone. If we are nothing else, we are all human.

Remember that. There but for the grace of God goes you. Even if you’re a rip-roaring bad ass dinosaur today, you can be a coat-rack and backdrop tomorrow.