Every Day Memoirist

Every day, I write these daily journals to reflect on my life as I'm in the process of living my life.

And every day, I'm writing my memoir with these journals.

But also, every day, I'm writing my memoir with my life.

Every day, I open a new page to reflect on my life and wrestle with ideas.

Then I make a plan to take action and open a new page, leave my desk, and enter my day.

I strive to take theory and put it into practice on my path toward mastery, every day.

My most recent writing projects are about my journey and my legacy.

I am near the end of the journey and beginning to welcome the legacy.

Ironically these projects seem to mirror the two halves of life I've been reading about recently.

The Journey is a project I've been working on for about thirty months.

This book's early life began with several false starts before it began toddling about.

Then, over another several months, it advanced into adolescence and began finding itself.

With over a dozen light and heavy edits, it is reaching young adulthood.

I feel comfortable enough to have shared it with my small community to get some feedback.

Like a teenager going to camp or college, it's out for an adventure.

There is still much growing to do when it returns, but I'm proud of the effort it's making.

I don't know when it will be released to be on its own, but I enjoy seeing it play with others for a bit right now.

When the journey returns from its namesake, I'll make a few more refinements before I really send it out on its own.

The Legacy is my next project in the early makings.

I have a hundred ideas for the direction and the look, but I have a good feel for the content.

Over the past few months, these ideas and I have been getting to know each other.

I love watching this project grow and begin to find its way.

There is no real rush as I know it takes time for these projects to take root.

If it is anything like its older sibling project, it has years before it will cross its own threshold.

For nearly six years, I have been faithful to this call to reflect and write, every day.

And it wasn't until this week that I noticed something.

I have been writing my memoir this whole time.

I used to think that a memoir was something documented after completing a remarkable life or season of life.

Now, I'm looking at this differently.

That we may or may not document our memoirs in words, but we all document our memoirs in action.

Every day, we are writing our memoirs.

How we will be remembered by those around us, in our neighborhoods, and in our worlds.

This is good timing for this revelation as I move from my journey to my legacy.

I've told the story many times that I envisioned writing a memoir when I retire as a teacher.

About six years ago, I thought to myself, I'm about ten years from that season of my life.

And if I'm going to be a writer when I retire, I need to start practicing.

Writing is a skill.

And all skills require years of practice to refine.

I'm only six years into this ten-year journey toward writing mastery, but I'm inching forward.

Every day, I wake and make my way to my desk.

Faithful to the discipline and practice of disciplined practice.

I reflect, pray, read, write, plan, and take action.

On my way, I've completed a few small writing projects.

Daily journals, weekly blogs, and seasonal self-published books.

Again, inching my way toward this arbitrary moment when I consider myself to be a real writer.

But as I now understand, I already am and have already been.

As you already are and have already been.

We are authors of our lives, writing our memoirs with our every day actions.

Today, I challenge you and I challenge myself.

May we recognize that we are writing our memoirs today and every day.

And may the words we write with our lives be those of love, joy, and peace.

May our journey be an adventure.

May our legacy be a gift.

May our memoir be one of good stewardship for our lives, our community, and our world.

Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash