Take My Advice: The Only Six Words You'll Ever Need
by Sarah Sullivan
In 2006 The Six-Word Memoir project was founded by the online digest Smith Magazine. Ostensibly this project was inspired by the famous literary legend that pitted Ernest Hemingway against other leading writers of the day to determine who could compose the shortest story. Hemingway purportedly prevailed, although his authorship has never been clearly established, with the words “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
Regardless of who wrote it, this abbreviated genre, frequently dubbed flash fiction or sudden fiction, has since taken on a life of it’s own resulting in contests, courses and even a number of books. The six word format has morphed into an endless variety of subtypes, Six Words of Love, Six Words for Children, Six Words for Travel,The Daily Six, you get the picture. The latest six word challenge was Six Words of Life Advice and that got me thinking.
Today I realized that I have exactly 21 days until the perennial Fall routine commences. This is such a wistful time of year. Already I'm setting aside swimsuits in favor of football jerseys and replacing sandals with soccer cleats. The box store shelves are newly stuffed with school supplies and warmer clothing and the late night air is just beginning to thin and cool. I am always a little sad to see the endless days of summer disappear into crisp September mornings and yet, by some paradox, I am also eager to begin anew and slip, once again, into a steady rhythm of predictable schedules that help me organize my time.
And so it goes. By Thanksgiving I'll be ready for snow and by Valentine's Day I'll be praying for spring and from there I'll look forward to the languid days of summer, carefree and unscheduled, once again. In my life, in ways big and small, constant change happens in all things; seasons, relationships, work, my body, my mind, my writing. So I guess I am left with no other words of advice than these:
"Embrace change. It's all there is."
What Are Your Six Words of Life Advice?
3 comments:
Add laughter to your daily routine.
I love the six word projects! And I'll take all the advice I can get, six words or otherwise. I could go with "Oprah says live your best life" or "write it down before you forget." But my favorite comes from my mom: "take time to smile and breathe."
Great one's Jenny! I agree with all of them, after all, who can argue with mom or Oprah!
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