It seems a natural progression as I stumble through this life altering upgrade path I’ve chosen, that there should be a weekly column. This, of course, means that in addition to all the other information I am attempting to digest, process and put to pen I need to add to the workload.
Over these past three months I’ve discovered some very interesting quirks about what it means to “be a writer”. First, when you read all the books and hear all the comments about how you have to write every day, they’re correct! There is no way around it. This writing muscle that is left for dead in many of us takes a good jump start to get going again. And just sitting down and jotting out a paragraph or two is not what you need to do, that’s like saying you did three minutes on the treadmill, but you tried real hard. Sorry, not the way it works. The amazing thing is once you start to let your brain have free reign over what your fingers are typing, there are times I’ve had to stop because I just couldn’t keep up.
A lot of writing is personal experience, that’s just the way it is. But the sheer beauty of transforming something as simple as a diaper change into a dimension shifting experience is beyond description. I firmly believe that almost every parent could be an excellent writer, of both comedy and tragedy. What new father hasn’t told the story of changing their newborn sons diaper for the first time? Mother’s around the world laugh instinctively because they don’t bother to share the little washcloth trick with us the first time. That should probably be on the hospital checklist before any new father goes home. More moms should have video cameras as the proud fathers admire their son in all his glory, full morning salute, what a moment. The blast that follows from something so small and innocent has been known to make grown men cry. I’ve had friends who were so stunned they couldn’t move as the torrent sprayed and rained down on them.
Moments like these make parents the best story-tellers. Every week I will endeavor to enrich all our lives with some worldly tidbits and some parenting insight. My insight and wisdom come from years of experience and a healthy sense of humor.
