by Joanie Butman
My vision for this blog is to share thoughts and stories as a way to encourage you to do the same. Discussing the subject of choices and wisdom doesn’t mean I’ve figured out the answers; it means I admit I’m not even sure of the questions. However, if we’re talking about them, maybe we'll discover some in the process. Let’s face it, we’re all stumbling through life – hopefully learning, growing, and searching for meaning in a world offering a seemingly endless array of options.
Blogging reminds me of the concept of my book, Table Talk, which was inspired by the countless conversations I’ve shared at my kitchen table. I have spent many an hour there with friends and relatives drinking coffee and discussing everything from cabbages to kings. Some of my fondest memories have been made at that table. In fact, just the other day our new mailman knocked on my door to introduce himself, and we ending up sitting at my table while he told me the story of how he met his wife and all about his daughter’s recent wedding.
My table is well-loved, meaning it is scarred and stained from overuse, glued back together in places and sags a bit in the middle (not unlike its owner). I often wonder if it’s from the burden of all the life it’s seen: fun, laughter, tears, pain, sorrow, comfort, joy, arguments, reconciliations, debates, celebrations, consolations, games, homework and, of course, writing. Oh, and sometimes we even eat at it.
Not only does it sag under the weight of all the life it has seen, the floor underneath is worn out by the constant movement of chairs indicating the traffic pattern around our table. That’s why I love antiques so much. They wear their use as a sign of a life well-lived and well-loved. Too bad our society can’t adopt that same attitude towards people. Some cultures do; but sadly, in the U.S., we are more often trying too hard to hide our battle scars when we should be displaying them proudly along with sharing the wisdom they helped us achieve.
Well, I can’t say, “Pull up a chair,” and I can’t offer you coffee, but I can invite you to come and sit at the kitchen table of my heart and visit for a while.
I will leave you with the following thought. Jimmy Valvano, noted basketball coach and public speaker (Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research), once said his “personal secret to living a full life was to make sure to find something every day that will make you laugh, cry, and think.”
This is what I hope to offer. Joanie