Thanks, Anne Lamott

I have been reading Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott. It is her book about writing, and I am finding it to be very helpful, not just in writing but also in life. I always thought I would enjoy her books, because I am a huge fan of Donald Miller and I once heard him described as a male Anne Lamott, and it turns out to be true. It is so nice to read someone who either expresses things you've always believed or puts into words for you things you didn't know you believed.

Also, I can relate to a lot of what she says. I don't know if it's a writer thing or a human thing, but I tend to go around talking to myself a lot. Not out loud (what would people think?), but if I turn off one conversation another one pops up, so unless I can be distracted by an imminent and wholly engaging task, I don't bother trying to stop it. And lo and behold, I read in Bird by Bird the following: "Left to its own devices, my mind spends much of its time having conversations with people who aren't there."

It's not just me!

I also read these lines this week: "Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life...." True, I think. I keep reading quotes and hearing speakers who deal with taking action in life, doing what you know you're supposed to do, having difficult but necessary conversations, taking risks at your job or hobbies or relationships in the hopes of making them better, and so I think maybe God is hinting something to me.

I have always been cramped by perfectionism. 'Tis better to never try and never fail than try and maybe fail, is often my motto. I am beginning to believe it's false, because most of the best things I've done in my life have been somewhat risky (or at least their outcome has), and I would have regretted never doing them. Even when the risk didn't necessarily pan out to something good, I was glad I did them.

The moral of the story: don't let perfectionism keep you from trying.

Eavesdropping on Genius Kids

So, I haven't done much blogging lately because I started my long-term substitute job, and it turns out working almost full-time and having a baby doesn't leave much time (or, perhaps more importantly, energy) for blogging. But I am teaching at a school for profoundly gifted students, and I had an experience the other day that sort of summarized the culture I am in. In a lot of ways these kids are just typical kids, but they are also very smart, and sometimes I overhear things that remind of that.

The other day we learned the word for "kiss-up" in class, and someone asked if the word meant "brown-noser."

"Sí," I said.

"What's a brown-noser?" asked a different kid.

"A sycophant," explained another.

"Ah, okay."

All was explained.