Reading
and Writing
“Writers
save the world—or at any rate, they saved me and everyone I’m close to. When we
were small, they were our travel guides and companions, great mysteries of life
and family. They were mirrors, mentors, guide dogs. They helped me laugh about
terrifying and isolating things, and made me question my very reason for
existence, as well as my fears, prejudices, and illusions.”
Anne
Lamott (Almost Everything, p.98, Riverhead Books, NY, 2018)
I hope
you are a reader—if you’re reading this, you must be. But I hope you are a
reader of great books. I can’t remember when I started reading, but I’m pretty
sure it was by first grade. I had great-aunts who were teachers, who taught my
sister Jerrie to read before she went to kindergarten. While Mother didn’t
regularly read to me, Jerrie did. Right up until she left home, she would read
aloud to me, and I loved listening. Then, I read to my kids until they were
mostly grown. Reading is the single most freeing thing one can do.
Anne
Lamott goes on to say in Almost Everything (p.98): “It’s ridiculous how
hard life is. Denial and avoidance are unsuccessful strategies, but truth and
awareness mend. Writing, creation, and stories are food.” Reading not only
tells great stories, but it introduces us to worlds we did not know existed and
informs us of things we would never have imagined. Writing, on the other hand,
introduces us to ourselves. Even if what you write is never read by another
human being, it serves the purpose of introducing you to all the personalities that
exist within you. Journaling is great for this—since it is personal and
private, you can be child, adolescent, middle-aged—whatever you like. And you
don’t even have to write complete sentences. You can express yourself in
doodles and drawings.
Since the spirit in you
is shy, you may want to prepare the space by lighting a candle and maybe even
placing a small vase of flowers on your writing table. Create sacred space but
don’t be afraid to be feral in it. Let your wild-child run and play. Don’t censor,
don’t correct, don’t even pay attention—just “let ‘er rip!” This frees you from
the ego that wants to control everything and do it right. Instead, be like Rumi’s
guest house and “welcome and entertain” all comers—whatever part of you shows
up. Given the freedom to play, your unconscious mind will create its own stories.
According to Anne Lamott,
reading and writing help us “take the blinders off…so we can look at life
and our lives with care, and curiosity, and attention to detail, which are what
will make us happy and less afraid.” We are as interesting as any character
in any book. We have as much depth and history and longing and love as anyone
else, real, or imagined. It’s helpful to tell the stories of those parts of yourself,
of their independent lives, and their shared lives. There’s a whole cast of
characters in there. It’s time to get acquainted with all of them.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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