I'm on a big Ann Lamott kick, recently. She's the wacky, smart, loving, open, broken mentor I think we all wish we had. I heard her read about 15 years ago, with no idea who she was, and have been a big fan ever since. Here's an short interview with her on Fresh Air, when she came out with "Plan B" (the book I'm reading now). She is so funny and self-depricating but also self-loving, and has something to say on everything from parenting to eating disorders to faith to hair to sobriety to sex. One of the many quotes I love from the book - Annie talking about a friend of hers who believes in "The Church of Eighty Percent Sincerity": " 'Eighty percent sincerity is about as good as its going to get. So is eighty percent compassion. Eighty percent celibacy. So twenty percent of the time, you just get to be yourself.' It's such subversive material, so contrary to everything society leads us to believe - that if you look good, you'll be happy, and have it all together, and you'll be successful and nothing will go wrong, and you wont have to die, and the rot wont get in. 'I've been forced to find my inner beauty,' he said in closing. 'Doing that gave me a deep faith in myself. Eighty percent of the time. And that faith has been a window, so I can see the beauty in you too. The light in your eyes. Your warmth. So thank you.'"
10.20.2010
I'm on a big Ann Lamott kick, recently. She's the wacky, smart, loving, open, broken mentor I think we all wish we had. I heard her read about 15 years ago, with no idea who she was, and have been a big fan ever since. Here's an short interview with her on Fresh Air, when she came out with "Plan B" (the book I'm reading now). She is so funny and self-depricating but also self-loving, and has something to say on everything from parenting to eating disorders to faith to hair to sobriety to sex. One of the many quotes I love from the book - Annie talking about a friend of hers who believes in "The Church of Eighty Percent Sincerity": " 'Eighty percent sincerity is about as good as its going to get. So is eighty percent compassion. Eighty percent celibacy. So twenty percent of the time, you just get to be yourself.' It's such subversive material, so contrary to everything society leads us to believe - that if you look good, you'll be happy, and have it all together, and you'll be successful and nothing will go wrong, and you wont have to die, and the rot wont get in. 'I've been forced to find my inner beauty,' he said in closing. 'Doing that gave me a deep faith in myself. Eighty percent of the time. And that faith has been a window, so I can see the beauty in you too. The light in your eyes. Your warmth. So thank you.'"
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Anne Lamott is such a favorite of mine too. As a writing teacher, we refer to her ideas about the importance of imperfection a lot in my classes. My students really like and identify with her. Her book _Bird by Bird_ is a good one even if you're interested in the creative life. But, I kind of think most of us secretly are.
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