Thank you to everyone who voted in my poll from three weeks ago. Ironically, I vowed I'd never write a mommy-blog but the highest vote (50%) fell to the parenting book column. I told my mother this and she said that she's been told no one should write a parenting book until they are old enough to watch their children parent children.
She has a point.
This brings me to a new set of questions for your feedback. How do I balance the tension between moralistic, boiled-down but marketable lessons from my life as a parent (or any other topic, for that matter) with the more true -- but less marketable -- reality of messy unpredictable life?
In my bio I say like it's no big deal: "I believe in paradox and mystery more than tips and techniques." It's not that I shun tips and techniques (have you seen how many pinterest boards I've created?) But I want to write words that mark the whole of life, not just trending keywords on google.
Also, tips and techniques are (usually) true and (sometimes) good, but not particularly beautiful; paradox and mystery speaks to truth, goodness and beauty. One is disposable, the other timeless. I want to write timeless words.
If you wrote a book solely focused on some part of your experience that is mysterious and beautifully paradoxical, what would you write?
I care deeply about parenting, families,culture and every other topic I included in that poll. I believe that we learn the practical business of parenting from each other, tips and all. I also believe we often care too deeply about checklists and that gets us into trouble.
If you wrote a book solely focused on sharing tips and techniques in an area of life you've got some skills, what would you write?
It is true that -- just as the invisible, mysterious God put on skin with a shelf life -- mystery without flesh becomes too easily ethereal, abstract, hard to pin down. All along I've been assuming that the practical, fleshy work happens in the act of making words form into sentences and paragraphs. Like the work my visual artist friends make when they take common objects (brush, turpentine, wax, wet clay) and make art that is just beautiful to look at without too many additional purposes. Maybe writing both paradox and tips is similar to making a gorgeous teapot -- aesthetically functional art?
What are some good examples of books or articles (on any subject) you've read that walk a good balance between practical tip-sharing and timeless, paradox-embracing?
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Joining this tribe is super simple! All I'm asking is that when you see a blog post titled "Will You Be My Tribe" that you'll read it and answer one or more of the questions in the comment box or via email. No pinky promises, pledges or club dues required.
As a reminder, today's questions:
- How do I balance the tension between potentially moralistic, boiled-down but marketable lessons from my life as a parent (or any other topic, for that matter) with the more true -- but less marketable -- reality of messy unpredictable life?
- If you wrote a book solely focused on some part of your experience that is mysterious and beautifully paradoxical, what would you write?
- If you wrote a book solely focused on sharing tips and techniques in an area of life you've got some skills, what would you write?
- What are some good examples of books or articles (on any subject) you've read that walk a good balance between practical tip-sharing and timeless, paradox-embracing?
Today's tribe post is sponsored by one of the world's most beautiful mysteries. (Be honest: Did you believe?)
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For those just tuning in, wondering what the word "tribe" has to do with anything:
Checking off my "Learn to Be A Blogger and Writer" checklist, one of the first recommended books I read was Seth Godin's Tribe: We Need You to Lead Us. You couldn't accuse the book of overflowing with practical nuts and bolts for people like me, but Godin deserves all the accolades he's got for being inspirational.
"Human beings can't help it: we need to belong. One of the most powerful of our survival mechanisms is to be part of a tribe, to contribute to (and take from) a group of like-minded people. We are drawn to leaders and to their ideas, and we can't resist the rush of belonging and the thrill of the new." -- Seth Godin, Tribe: We Need You to Lead Us
So that's my ask: Will you be my tribe? I promise I won't hold you to it for life, but maybe for the next few months you could join me in this conversation. To get some clarity for my own nagging dreams, yes, but we might just discover that the combined sheer genius of our discussion will surprise us. We might just discover together the thrill of the new.
*Thank you to the passionate Grant and Deb of GrantandDeb Photographers for the sweet picture of Brian and me I used for this post.*
*Thank you to the passionate Grant and Deb of GrantandDeb Photographers for the sweet picture of Brian and me I used for this post.*
