Today was Family Day in Ontario.
I was looking for an inspiring story about family to share. I didn’t find anything that spoke to me and then I remembered something I heard this morning about a legend that Ernest Hemingway was challenged to write a story in 6 words.
His story…
“ For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
That inspired me to write a 6 word description of what family means to me…
“Being seen and loved any way.”
I came across someone else who was inspired by the brilliance of this simple exercise—Larry Smith, the founder of the six-word memoirs. They gave the concept a personal twist by asking their community to describe their life in six words.
People “sent in short life stories in droves, from the bittersweet (“Cursed with cancer, blessed with friends”) and poignant (“I still make coffee for two”) to the inspirational (“From migrant worker to NASA astronaut”). and hilarious (“Married by Elvis, divorced by Friday”).” The Six-Word Memoir project became a phenomenon that led to a series of 10 best selling books.
For more about Larry Smith’s story and some touching and funny six word memoirs, play the TedTalk below: