Chapter 3: Surround
“All I was writing about was motherhood and marriage during those first few months. Where had the rest of my life gone?”
These words are from Charity. Her words struck me, even though our situations are different. (She’s been in this marriage/motherhood thing for a couple of years, where I’ve been in it for almost a couple of decades.)
Over the last two years or so, I’ve written about anything other than marriage and motherhood here. I’ve written about my dogs, about other people’s books. I’ve written some poetry. I’ve put The Rest of My Life has front and center. It’s my way of saying, “Hey, chaos. You are not everything. There is beauty everywhere.”
Like Charity’s husband, mine reminds me of who I am. He remembers my “before.” A lot of times he knows what I need more than I do, like, “Hey, honey. Why don’t you put away your work and let’s go to a winery and sit outside and listen to music.” And he doesn’t even like wine.
Later in the chapter, Ann mentions “Essays of E.B. White.” I really need to get that book! My poetry buddy, Nancy Franson, gave me another collection of his essays, “E.B. White on Dogs,” which I loved. My columns are essentially essays, and E.B. White is the master of the essay.
And this, I thought, is how I’d like to write.
Me, too, Ann. Me, too.
