ADR Friday Loves: Your Words

As some of you know, I am particularly epiphany-prone. Does that sound weird or even boastful? Hope not. It's true though. I motor through my days, shuttling my girls, sipping my Christmas Blend, and I am struck here and there with bolts, ideas, realizations. The little notepad function on my iPhone comes in handy in these moments.

One of my profound conclusions of late: This place is as much about your words as it is mine. Yes, I am the Professor of Insecurities in residence, but you are my colleagues, my class. You are the ones who let me know if my lectures or lessons or questions are interesting at all, whether they mean something. It's interesting to me that I even contemplated abandoning comments here because the comments, when and if they come, add, and vitally, to what's going on here. Your words, not mine.

And some of you email me instead. And often these are not just little hey there emails, but long and thoughtful musings and reactions. It means the world when I get an email from one of you, when you take the time to share with me a bit of your story. When you say that something I have written here has made you think, and think differently perhaps, I smile. I smile because that's my aim. Some of you will know this, but I have been asking a few of you whether I can use parts of your emails as future posts. I love this idea, this idea of displaying your words here, as a way to spark discussion and broaden perspective, also as a way to thank you, and underscore how important your words are to me. Your words, not mine.

And yesterday? Yesterday I showcased the wise and witty words of an old friend. And it was so much fun to do this, to welcome someone I know and admire, someone who like me, and like so many of us, is dreaming big and trying and trying to Have It All. How cool it was, and is, to invite her friends and fans to this space. How wonderful to sit back and see a conversation unfold, a real conversation between real people, a conversation that matters. Your words, not mine.

When I write my books and I do cross my fingers that there will be many books, the words will be mine, all mine. But this place? This wonderful place I have wrestled with and fallen in love with again and again is really not just about me and my words. It is also about you and your words. Your words that come in comments, and emails, and real-life conversations and guest posts. Your words, not mine.

So. This is something I am going to think about, and focus on. Not just my own telling of other people's stories which I will do and can't wait to do, but using your actual words (culled from comments, emails, your own blogs, and always with permission) here. As always, I'm not sure exactly how this will work, or if it will work at all, but hey, it's worth thinking about, and trying. I love this experimenting, this rolling with it, this real-time trying out and tweaking. It feels lively and great.

So. The first, and best, Friday Loves of today is just that: Your words.