a writer's wisdom

Saturday night, author Anne Lamont addressed a packed Whitworth auditorium. Besides reading two of her non-fiction essays and answering audience questions, Lamont informed us that she would tell us everything she knew about everything, and it would take approximately 15 minutes. Though it started out as advice for writers, she easily applied her four nuggets of sagacity to life in a broader picture. I'm not going to get these exactly right, but the idea behind them is still valid.

1. It's ok to not be busy. Each day, take your to-do list, and remove two things. Then spend the time you would have spent anxiously bustling around to just lay on the floor and get licked by the dog, or stare into space. Lamont was adamant that relaxation is the most profoundly spiritual act we can participate in.

2. Failure, screw ups and shitty first drafts are a must. We can't be afraid to make mistakes, or fall on our butts. Often times it takes failure to even realize what you're trying to do in the first place.

3. Everyone is assigned people to help them along the way. We are surrounded by loving and wise people, even if we can't always see them. Allow yourself to ask for their help, whether it's reading a draft or sitting with you watching the mid-term elections on CNN.

I wish I could remember more specifics of what she said, because I remember it all being so deeply profound, but simple. She was a crazy intellectual liberal nut, but she saw the parts of life that were the true gifts, and was able to discern them from the parts that we make important to make ourselves feel important. If you haven't read any of her stuff, you are sorely missing out. I know I added another few books to my summer reading list after hearing her speak.