In my book of prompts for writing, today's quoted Oscar Wilde, whose famous last words were sad. As he lay dying in a cheap hotel room in Paris he wrote:
"This wall paper and I are fighting a duel to the death. Either it goes or I do."
He died 1905 at age 28. Wilde was a gifted poet and playwright. He wrote "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "The importance of Being Ernest." But he was not a good human. His lifestyle destroyed him.
Many decades ago I helped with a production of Tennessee Williams "The Glass Menagerie." I wasn't in the play but I led discussion groups with theater goers who wanted to stay and discuss what they'd seen, Several times the discussion focused on how writers like Tennessee Williams and others could write great works giving us deep insight into human behavior, but were not able to translate this knowledge into enhancing their own lives.
Just because we know and can beautifully interpret life's truths, doesn't mean we can automatically appropriate them ourselves.
I have spent much of my life learning lessons from great writers and speakers, not just about what I do, but, more importantly, who I want to be.
A few days ago the writing prompt urged me to write a new first sentence to begin updating my bio or resume. Here's what I wrote:
83 year old woman seeking a meaningful life.
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