Wednesday, April 6, 2022

Starting with the why is a good start

 “Writing your life implies that you think it worth writing. It implies an arrogance, or confidence, or compulsion to justify oneself, that I can’t claim. Did Washington write his memoirs? Did Lincoln, Jefferson, Shakespeare, Socrates?”

-  Joe Allston, 

from Wallace Stegner’s The Spectator Bird.

 

There is no arrogance here. There are no grandiose ambitions. No need to justify. I genuinely feel wise in realizing that I’m really no one important. One day if I live long enough, when my memory fails me, I’d want to remember. I’d need to remind myself that it was all worth it. That I’ve learned, loved, and failed, and I mustered enough spirit to sail through the tides. I’d want to cringe and laugh at myself. And hopefully, the regrets might get fewer and fewer. Starting today, 100+ words a day, I become more aware of who I am. 

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