Stories of life

I just read a quick book titled: “It
all Changed in an Instant: More Six-Word Memoirs.” I first heard the editors
taking about the book on NPR a few weeks ago, and then I saw it at the small
bookstore in Alpine, so I bought it. The premise behind the book began with an
apocryphal story about Ernest Hemingway who supposedly responded to a bar bet
to write a novel in only six words with this: “For sale: baby shoes, never
worn.” No one knows if the story is true, but those six words certainly tell a
story.

So the editors of Smith Magazine
asked people to tell the true story of their own lives in six words and over
250,000 six-word memoirs have been submitted. The book I read is the third
collection they’ve published.

I read all the six-word memoirs in
the book and I was surprised how revealing they were. Some caught my breath at
the implications. For example, Peter Loux submitted, “Army or jail? I chose
wrong.” Not only do we know he got into some sort of trouble that left him with
an unfortunate choice, but we don’t know which (wrong) choice he made. There is
clearly much more to this story.

Abbe Shapiro wrote, “Expected
forever. Have restraining order instead.” In two phrases his story went from
hope to despair. His life is not what he expected.

Jill Steinmetz wrote, “Will finish
novel after grading papers.” I know too many stories that are just like that: I
will own my own studio after grading papers, or I will record my CD after
grading papers, or I will publish my book after oil and gas, or I will pay
attention to my family after I am successful.

I was intrigued by Melissa Maxwell’s
submission: “Tattoos made my skin more ‘me.’” Having no desire to customize my
own skin I have never understood the need or desire of other people to make
permanent alterations to themselves. I am more likely to remove labels and
paint over logos or make name-brand stuff look incognito and generic than I am
to mark it up to get attention. It never occurred to me that an alteration
could seem more authentic to someone.

A woman named Clare Hobba submitted
this memoir: “Unraveled career, re-knitted as baby blankets.” I thought that
was a good description of a journey from a hopeless situation – broken career –
to one full of hope.

And Tammy Ray Wilson wrote, “Dancing
naked in my empty nest.” I asked Cyndi if she was using Tammy Ray Wilson as a
pseudonym and she denied it, but I’m not so sure.

Some of the submissions were very
clever. The Amazing Kreskin (a presumptive first name, if you ask me) wrote,
“Now, I know what you’re thinking.” And this by Caitlin O’Conner, “I have
finally learned cliffhangers are …”

I will admit, a couple of the
submissions made me stop and reevaluate my own story. Aaron Renier wrote, “Off
in my own little world.” That, to be honest, is my fear of fears. It’s what
wakes me up at night and what often shuts me down before I begin. I don’t
really believe it logically, but in my heart the enemy’s attack comes in the
form of the fear that I am off teaching and writing in my own little trivial
world and that people are just putting up with me because I am occasionally
funny. But then someone like Mark reminds me to “turn around and look at how
full this bus is; people want to go wherever you go.” Thanks, Mark, I need
that.

Another six-word memoir that I hope
to avoid was by Kirstin Pesula-McEarchern: “Author of so many unwritten books.”
I wrote in the margin, “Please, not me.” I want to write and publish them all,
whether or not anyone reads them. I hope my last submission is in process the
day I die.

So, Sunday night I sat across a
table from Cyndi, at Rosa’s, of course, and
read my favorite entries from the book. I also showed her my own attempts at
telling my true story in six words.

I showed her this one: “Wanderer,
student, introspective, lover, dreamer, loyal.” Cyndi said, “That’s just a
string of descriptive words; it isn’t a story.” She was correct, of course,
which caused me to scratch off three of my other attempts which seemed to be
word strings as well.

I said, how about this: “Love a
dancer, now I dance.” She knew I was talking about her influence on my life and
she liked that part, but said, “Thanks, but your story is bigger than that.”

OK, how about this one: “Always
leaning forward into the future.” She thought that one was better, but still
more of a goal than a story. She wanted to hear my favorite. She’s been through
this sort of thing with me before and she knew I was holding back my best idea.
I read: “Miles to go before I sleep.” That was her favorite, as well. “Your
story is, that your story isn’t over, and you have many miles to go yet.” Good
girl; no wonder I love her so much. I have a lot of miles to go, and books, and
essays, and talks, and friends, and adventures to go, before bedtime.

And so I’ll ask, why don’t you give
it a try? Can you tell the true story of your life in six words? It doesn’t
have to be perfect. You can stamp “draft’ across it so you can change it later.
But try it. And send it to me, or post in the comments of my blog. I need to
know you better. I want to read your story.

“I run in the path of Your
commands, for You have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32

To learn more about Berry’s newest book, “Running
With God:” http://www.runningwithgodonline.com/

Follow Berry on Twitter at @berrysimpson … Contact
Berry directly: berry@stonefoot.org