Why Write?

Why We Must Write...

"We wear who we are. We speak who we are. We act who we are. We try to read about who we are. And we attempt, as best as we can, to live who we are. But when it comes to writing who we are, we get stumped, anxious, uncomfortable. Maybe it is because writing gives us the microscope to inspect with closer intimacy the truth of who we actually are. And therein lies the fear; and therein lies the necessity." 

The Sounds of our Kids...  

"I won't. I can't. I don't want to. No you. Not now. I can't remember. Gosh. I just really don't know how." I'm kidding. These are the sounds adults make when we're asked to write anything about ourselves.  

It's peculiar. I've been a mom for 4 years now. And in conversations with other moms, once the topic of our personal selves is approached - what we love to do, wish we could do, have tried but have failed to do...I never really know how to just say,"No, seriously, I really want to hear more about you." What usually happens is that one of us will round the conversation into a sigh or throw-away laughter and then pose another benign question from the bottomless mommy barrel of: where'd you get your daughter's hairbow I've been looking for those! and, have you checked out Turner's kids eat for free on Tuesdays? 

As if what was being personally shared or said is of non-importance. As if that tiny shimmer of dream or pain we nearly revealed amidst the usual mom banter belongs to some yesteryear. As if we would, actually, always, rather talk about our kids than about ourselves. 


So I started this blog as a way for us to say just that: "No, seriously, I really want to hear more about you." 


But I've talked to quite a few moms who are still unsure of what to share, what to write, what story about themselves they want to give away. They wonder, "Why share anyways?" I believe the risk is not in writing something for others to read; the real risk is in asking yourself a few simple questions about what you love and who you are and then being patient with yourself just long enough to let the truth slip out. It's a risk worth taking, because you are the only person you're ever meant to be. Why not take an hour to talk to her, and then share what you've discovered? It doesn't hurt to share...I have found it actually hurts to not share. 


I am pretty sure: this is a tiny world. Not just this blog space (this I am sure of - we're not going viral here :) but this time in our lives in general. How we give ourselves away to this world is up to us. There's no right or wrong way. So take those nervous fears: "she wrote about this so I should write about that" or "her story is interesting, what if mine isn't?" and meet them with the courage to jot down a few things you already know about the one person you know the best but talk to the least.  And when your doubts implore you: "What good is it to write? What good is it to share?" answer them back with this insight from Barbara Kingsolver: Because it is the one and only thing I have to offer.  


{ If you'd like to share what you have to offer (and yes, it's worth offering!) please email your story and any pictures you'd like to include to beyondmomsblog@gmail.com. }