I recently was told about this really cool project, the six-word memoir. Now, many of you have probably already heard of it–sometimes I can be behind the times–but if not, it’s pretty self-explanatory. How to write a six-word memoir? Sum up your life in six words. (There’s a whole Jewish section on the site, with way more than I can get into now, but my favorite one might be: “Didn’t get Seinfeld ’til met in-laws,” by Liz Nord.)
If the memoir part of it is too much, it might be easier to start with a six-word day. For me, today looks like this: Playgroup, nap, Shabbat, ladies night out! (That last bit is a rarity, for sure.) You also can use verbs, of course: Stop hitting friends, time to leave. In case you were curious, that one’s based on playgroup–not ladies night out!
But it occurred to me, as I thought about this, that the way I talk to my 2.5-year-old is often in a similar manner to the six-word memoir. She needs things to be simple, clear, and easy to follow. The beauty of the six-word memoir, however, is the depth within those six words. And more and more, my little one is starting to understand depth and meaning. Not a lot–she’s still only 2 and a half–but she’s getting it. (Can I kvell you an example? The other day, we were listening to music. She asked, “What music is this?” My husband said, “It’s by a band called Phish.” She said, “Dada, I listen to seahorse.” Hysterical, yet meaningful, all at once. To distill to six words: Daddy’s band: Phish. Abigail prefers Seahorse.)
Get Kveller's beautiful, step-by-step guide to experiencing Shabbat on your own terms. Order The Kveller Shabbat Guide here.
Six words seems especially appropriate as we near the end of the week–after all, Jewishly, the work-week is six days long before we get to rest and relax on Shabbat. So my six words for this Shabbat? Family nap deliciousness and dinner out.
What are your six words for this Shabbat? Share them with us below.
