Six Word Memoir…

Oprah inspired me again.

On her Facebook page this week she encouraged her audience to write their life stories in six words or less… I became intrigued. The original idea came from the writer and editor of SMITH Magazine, Larry Smith, who challenged his readers in November of 2006 to write their life stories in six words or less. The inspiration for this contest came from Ernest Hemingway’s marvelous six word short story “ For sale: Baby shoes, Never worn”. I love that!

Hemingway was totally brill and continues to inspire so many writers and aspiring writers decades after his death. Most recently, Woody Allen. Have you seen Midnight in Paris? If you haven’t please do…

Anyway, Larry Smith’s Six Word Memoir contest was officially over after a month, but in reality, it’s never stopped. Years later, he is still receiving “memoirs”. He has published 5 books with over half a million touching and personal contributions he’s received. Oprah.com asked its readers to send in some of their 6 word life stories, and published some of the submissions. These are a few of my favorites…

“Stage IV cancer made me live.” Melanie Bourbour, 34

“Zen gardener, can you dig it?” Denise Hasher, 38

“I’ve made all the best mistakes…” Jessica McKeen-Grabell, 26

“Living heart for sale. Like New…” Ariel Faulkner, 25

“The good child, until I wasn’t…” Tara Hill, 44

“Seeking the fullest expression of self…” Oprah Winfrey, 58

“Old too soon. Smart too late.” Ibis Kramer, 70 (ha! how true!)

Never one to back down from a challenge, these are some of my mini memoirs- using only 6 words of course!

I never regret love or chocolate.

Mistakes are more fun when drinking.

We are all travelers. Travel light.

I was tricked into forgetting myself…

No such thing as wasted love…

It was fun… while it lasted.

The vodka made me do it.

It’s been impossible to resist love.

My broken heart broke me open.

Regret kills if you let it…

Sometimes a seeker. Sometimes a fool.

Might as well buy them all…

Working with her was totally excruciating!

I’m not waiting for you anymore…

Hiding has always served me well…

Its not as easy as it looks! Try it! Let your inner poet come out and play. What is your six word memoir??

2011 Life Lesson List

It was a trying year for Dre. I walked around for most of it feeling like I just got kicked in the gut. Mostly because I had been. But it wasn’t all bad. Some of the lessons, tricks and treats for me this year came in places I went, people I met, the dear souls who soldiered right along with me, and the feelings that delivered me. Here is my Life Lesson List for 2011:

1) Passion

2) Compassion

3) Abandonment

4) Stillness

5) New Friendship

I am so blessed to have made so many new friends this  year…

6) Doctors, patients and patience

7) Solitude

8) San Francisco

9) The Dalai Lama

“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck” ~ Dalai Lama

10) Cancer

11) Chemotherapy

12) A Hero

13) Loss

14) Age

15) Sadness

16) Betrayal

17) Horrible Bosses

18) Death

19) A beautiful Russian

20) Agape- a spiritual community

21) The Artists Way and Vision Quest- A Creative Community

22) New York

I took this photo in April in Central Park…

23) Rumi

“It’s good to leave each day behind, Like flowing water, free of sadness. Yesterday is gone and its tale told. Today new seeds are growing.” ~ Rumi

24) Lost Love

25) Movie: Midnight in Paris

Ernest Hemingway: No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure.

Gertrude Stein: You have a clear and lovely voice.  Don’t be such a defeatist.

26) Movie: Beginners

Oliver:   You can’t be ugly.  Except to people who don’t understand.

27) Movie: 50/50

Alan: You want a macaroon?
Adam: Oh, thanks I’m alright.
Alan: There’s weed in ‘em…

28) Allowing myself to cry… buckets!

29) Pema Chodron

“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a relationship between equals. Only when we know our own darkness well can we be present with the darkness of others. Compassion becomes real when we recognize our shared humanity.” ~ Pema Chodron

I read her book “Taking the Leap” twice this year…

30) Self Discovery

31) Love

32) Art, writing and bravery

Julia Cameron’s book “The Artist’s Way” and Kelly Morgan’s Artist’s Way class in Los Angeles, was one of the greatest gifts I gave myself this year…

33) A poet and a couple Bloggers (you guys can fight over which one of you is the ninja)

34) Yelp Friends

35) Therapy

36) Runyon Canyon

37) Silverlake

38) Long Beach

39) Koreatown

40) Hollywood

My view.  ”One always begins to forgive a place as soon as it’s left behind.” ~ Charles Dickens

41) Downtown LA

to live and die in L.A…

42) Steve Jobs

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me.  Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.” ~Steve Jobs
43) Oprah (the finale season!)

“Nobody but you is responsible for your life. It doesn’t matter what your mama did; it doesn’t matter what your daddy didn’t do. You are responsible for your life. … You are responsible for the energy that you create for yourself, and you’re responsible for the energy that you bring to others.’Please take responsibility for the energy you bring into this space.’” ~Oprah on her last show

44) A lion

45) Adele 21

46) Family

I encourage you to make a list of people, places, words, and things that come to mind when you remember this year as it comes to an end. Then, and this is the hard part; Be Grateful. Be grateful for the joy and sorrow that came to you this year, for everything comes and goes in its own right time. The joys and the pains are always on time. Not when you’re ready, but when they will serve you best. Whatever challenge you faced this year is an expansion for your soul. It came to push you out and take you to the next stage of your unfolding. The worse it was, the deeper you are as a person. At least that’s what my therapist says. Now that you have been through that challenge, just trust that because of it, you now feel more, you empathize more; you can forgive and understand more readily. You aren’t weaker, you’re stronger. Experienced. You survived. As did I.  So dear reader, be Grateful. And carry on…

I hope you had a beautiful year! I wish you an even better 2012.

Tell me what’s on your list! Give me 10! C’mon!