6-Word Memoirs and BOOK GIVEAWAY!

So, last week I read this book called Not Quite What I Was Planning.  It's a really cool project from like half a decade ago that I just recently found out about, and it's fascinating to me--as an amateur writer (though I haven't visited that love in YEARS), a teacher, and a person.  Basically, the idea was for people to submit their life stories in exactly six words--no more, no less.  And someone compiled it all into a book.  There are famous contributers, like Dr. Jane Goodall, and there are mostly ordinary, everyday people like you and me.  As the introduction states, "it's a thousand little windows into humanity," which I find very worth the read.  Even when some are stupid.  :)

In real life I'm a quiet person.  Sometimes shy, but mostly just quiet.  I'm a listener.  I'm a thinker.  I mostly like that about me.  But when I start writing, I find I have a lot to say.  Being concise is NOT my thing.  So writing a 6-word memoir would be a challenge for me.  But even MORE challenging is the idea of committing to one.  As someone in the introduction pointed out, "Whole lifetimes happen in people's lives every day."  Things change so quickly inside and all around us, and I can't imagine that what I write today will be the same as what I would write tomorrow. 

The person that shared this book with me mentioned that her family read it together (they're all older, of course), and in their discussions her father said his memoir would be, "I said my prayers every day."  I thought that was sweet.  I don't know if it's completely true of me, at least enough to define my life...but how cool!

I'm still thinking about mine.  But here are a few from the beginning of the book that resonate with me, for whatever reason:

"Made a mess.  Cleaned it up."  ~Amy Anderson
"Taking a lifetime to grow up."  ~Miron Iliescu
"Danced in Fields of Infinite Possibilities." ~Deepak Chopra
"I am trying, in every regard." ~Lionel Shriver
"I thought I was someone else."  ~Tysa Goodrich
"I was born some assembly required."  ~Eric Jordan
"Blogging is easy.  Writing is hard."  ~Jennifer Shreve
"Memory was my drug of choice."  ~Pea Hicks
"Can my words have footnotes, please?"  ~Amy Harbottle
"I colored outside of the lines."  ~Jacob Thomas

I won't share too many of these with you, BECAUSE I'M GOING TO SHARE THE WHOLE BOOK INSTEAD!

I don't do giveaways often on my blog because, frankly, I don't see the need much.  I do this blog for ME, and think it's just a lovely bonus that someone else might find me inspiring or interesting enough to follow.  But I don't see how I can share this with you and NOT offer to send one of you this book!  SO...all you have to do is leave a comment with YOUR 6-word memoir by May 15 (my anniversary!).  You're welcome to leave as many as you'd like, but each person will only be entered once, so you might as well take the time to make it your BEST...unless you're indecisive like me and need several.  :)  Every person who comments will get entered into a drawing and on the 15th I will literally pick a name out of one of my many awesome hats to find a winner!  The winner will receive not one, but TWO books: Not Quite What I Was Planning, AND It All Changed in an Instant, the sequel!  :)  I will also commit to a 6-word-memoir of my own then and share it with all of you. 

Ready?  Set?  WRITE!