Wherever You are Curly, I finally Know My “Just One Thing”
A Raison D'Etre
In the movie City Slickers (c.1991), Billy Crystal receives deep meaning-of-life advice from a weathered cowhand named Curly played by Jack Palance (for which he got the Oscar for supporting actor). The advice? He needs to find his “Just One Thing” and stick with that. Everything else don’t mean squat. What is It? That’s yours to figure out. My husband and I often make mention of this quote, and I remember thinking I’d ever come close to understanding what mine is.
But now maybe I have.
That is the moment when all my writing makes complete sense, and I am substantiated and inspired to keep going. I could easily say it’s parenting or my love of writing. While my one thing is born from those, it’s that one small connection when my authentic self writes a truth that tickles someone’s true self, and they let me know how they were affected. This can happen in a comment or a random conversation or communication, and it feels like the truth of humanity and womanity coming through when it does. This happened when I risked, wrote, and published an essay about discovering I had low self-esteem on the Tiny Buddha site here.
My adopted writing mentor Dan Blank bases his “marketing” philosophy on this beautiful potential creative spark which only happens at that moment between you and another person. One moment and connection at a time. He insists this is where our efforts to be heard need to lie, not within increased metrics of followers. I want to know that these metrics actually represent a good many of people I’ve friended because of a true connection! Thank you, Dan Blank.
I’ve decided that the scarier the writing share, the better the chance of connecting. I might as well hedge my bets with more of this submission and publishing stuff then?
What have I been waiting for? My published pieces could suck even if I try to perfect them for years. And all those moments I’ve lost not getting over myself to meet someone else who gets me is worth my noble imperfect efforts.
How do I achieve these connections in life? By showing up and looking people in the eyes and introducing myself. By telling them what’s truly in my heart.
“Hi, my name is Shalagh Hogan and I write honestly about being an uber-creative and midlife mother with the hope and belief that my stories will give other anxious creatives permission to make their own life shifts.”
Amen.