Writing a Personal Essay

Author: notafish - Delphine Ménard Source: self drawn. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

            


Writing an essay is harder that it sounds. When I was in school the teacher gave requirements and rules about style and language. Now I’ve come to a place where I want to write a personal essay and there aren’t any rules. 

I write some blogs and the subject of the blog determines the subject and style. Now I want to write an opinion, but I’m not sure what the subject is. Maybe it’s just things I want to say. 

There is advice I want to give my grandchildren, wisdom I would like to impart to friends, council I want to share with strangers—all kinds of stuff I just think people ought to be aware of. It is a little scary to think I am the authority on a wide variety of issues these people ought to following. The responsibility is awesome. But it would make my life easier if I didn’t have to suffer the futility of dealing with those who don’t know how to get along. 

A few of them think they know how things ought to be done. Of course, they are misguided. I try to have pity rather than scorn for them, but sometimes it’s hard. I know several people who think they are smarter than the rest of us  and are ready to snap everyone into shape for the project they have designed. 

I have a friend who I like a lot, but she is an artist  and thinks she can make an artist out of me. I sincerely doubt that will happen. I enjoy the interaction, but I’ll never be an artist. I don’t do well in crafts either, no matter how simple. I just don’t enjoy it. I won’t sacrifice the time. 

Now that I think about it, I guess everybody I know in “the home” has the same conviction: Their system would simply their life too. If we would all behave as they demand, life would be simpler, at least for them.