Only Human
I was driving in my car this morning – thinking about a concert I went to the other night. (Christina Perri) Before she sang her most popular song she told a story about how she got to where she was. She talked about how afraid she was to pursue her dream. How scared she was to get on stage and perform, even though it was everything she wanted … and that at some point – she just gave in – and let her feet move her instead of her fear. And there she was – performing for a great crowd, living her dream.
And I thought about my dreams – and how afraid I am of chasing them.
Do you want to know what I want to be more than anything? A writer. I want to write a book. I have wanted to do this for all of my life.
I have dabbled in autobiographies. (Though they make me feel ego maniacal. Who cares about MY simple little life?) I tried my hand with a fictional novel, but 20 or so chapters in and I lost interest in my own story. Shel Silverstein is my idol – and because I love to rhyme and I’m a decent little doodler – it seemed obvious to follow in his footsteps and write children’s books. I’ve gone so far as to have written a children’s book to completion … years ago – but I haven’t done anything with it. I worry about errors and typos and if editors will think I’m an idiot – if I could even get the attention of editors. I worry about the science of figuring out how to publish a book, and that even if I did – who would want to buy it? I worry that in order to sell a book, I’d have to self-promote which is something I am absolutely not comfortable with. I worry. I fret. I get scared. And I do nothing. So I have a dream (much like a lot of your probably do) that I have let sit on a shelf, collecting dust.
And this morning – it hit me. I know what I want to write. I know what I want to do.
I have a passion for authenticity. It {the passion} seems to grow day by day. I hate the injustices we put out in the world. We portray that we have our lives together when really I believe that even the most “put together” of people feel as though they too are coming undone. Nobody – not even Martha Stewart – is perfect. Nobody has everything together. Nobody can do it all. We are all imperfect – we’re only human. (“We’re only human” is coincidentally, a lyric from Christina Perri’s latest single. Tying it all together for you guys.)
So! Ding, ding, ding – I want to write about all of YOU. I want to share with the world all of our simple imperfections, our insecurities and our worries – so that we can unite and see that it is OKAY to be imperfect. I want to photograph you and interview you and learn what makes you happy, and what makes you sad. I want the world to see that we can be so different, but in so many other ways – we are all the same. This idea is far from original, but I have a vision …
I need help. I was racking my mind with questions to ask. I need 5-10 good questions that are direct. That cut to the core. That strip us of our “supposed-to-be” selves, and reveal honesty – the kind that makes us a little uncomfortable. Questions that reveal truths that people try to hide: living paycheck-to-paycheck, living above their means and being suffocated by debt, feeling uninspired or underappreciated, feeling ugly, feeling like they have to be strong to support those who depend on them – I just want to uncover one simple secret that we all keep tucked away … something that makes us feel imperfect. Something we wish to hide. (And this goes without saying – I should hope – that I’m not trying to embarrass anybody or TMZ anybody’s life with uncovered gossip.) I just want to know what the billionaires wish they were better at – what the supermodels are insecure about – and what makes the homeless feel happy. What can bring us all together? I am so sure there is a human thread that ties us all together. I want to discover it!
So I quiz you – what kinds of questions do you think I should ask? And I promise that once I compose my final list of 5-10 questions – I will answer them myself – and then beg of you to answer too.
So comment, or email me, or Facebook me, or send a smoke signal – what questions should I be asking?
- Taylor
We have more in common than just anatomy, don't we?
