I say to myself all the time "yeah, Imma do that" with challenges, but I never. I procrastinate and I let fear, worry and anxiety stop me from doing a lot of things.
Like writing a book.
I have always wanted to write a book.
But what shall I write about? What if people don't like it? What if I fail? What if I don't finish it?
Well.
Today I'm going to write a book. Chapter 1 of it, anyway.
You have exclusive access to it on my blog because you basically know all my secrets anyway...so enjoy!
TITLE of my book:
Jane Bevan is a knob.
Prologue:
You're probably wondering who "Jane Bevan" is.
It might surprise you to find out she's someone I've never actually met. Her name popped up on facebook as she had reacted to a picture of a snake on someone's post - saying she was offended and that whoever posted it should have considered how people with arachnophobia would feel having to look at it.
Pfft.
When did we get so "politically correct" that we can't even post a picture of a snake without someone being offended? I mean...come on!
Really?
My husband - and my favourite person in the whole world - chuckled at her response, posted the words "you're a knob" under her comment, folded his arms across his chest and grinned while saying "I await the backlash"
and it hit me.
I liked the sound of those words all put together in a sentence: "Jane Bevan is a knob". I like the 'ring' of it.
So that's the title of this book :) this is the title of the story of my life! This is how I'm going to share my world with you. I'm pretty pleased about it and so excited to begin.
Oh.
Wait.
I've started this book on a bit of a tanget, eh?
Hi.
I'm Janet. I'm 41 years old and I've decided to write a book.
Not a fictional story - but a true reflection of my life as I have lived it and continue (God willing) to do so. This book is my thoughts, my musings, my hopes, dreams, fears and things that simply p*ss me off. I will incorporate my blog posts into this as chapters - the blogs I like the most - and I'll fill in the other chapters with thoughts I wanted to share with you, things I remember experiencing in my life and basically my "two cent's worth" on life in general.
Some chapters will be very short. This is going to end up being unusual as gosh darn it, I love to talk endlessly about nothing and everything. Some chapters will be long. Possibly too long. I'm not sorry about this :) There isn't really a 'beginning' and an 'end' to this book - it's more a mish-mash of thoughts, feelings, lessons I've learnt and things I want to share with you. I will try to protect people's identities by not sharing their full names/address/contact numbers (?) with you.
This book (my blog, really) is written entirely from my point of view so of course is coloured/biased to reflect MY thoughts and feelings. With that in mind, please take everything you read with a 'pinch of salt'.
My goal here is to take a bit of my heart and put it onto paper so I can share it with you. That's it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
If you enjoy reading this eventual book even half as much as I've enjoyed writing it, we're definitely onto a winner.
Chapter 1: "The 'rents"
There is something almost magical about watching a person around their family. Their parents in particular - because it gives you an almost open window to their true personality. I have experienced this with working with children for most of my life - that a child is an entirely different being when they are at home. Shy children are boisterous and cheeky at home, cheeky children are more serious, children you thought were trouble makers at home are actually really responsible and take care of their siblings, and children you thought were 'little angels' are little monsters when they're in their own familiar surroundings.
I'm learning of late that this is true for adults, too.
When you see an adult in a working environment, for instance - you see them dealing with stress, being polite even though they might not feel like it and holding a lot in. At home, I guess they're a little more relaxed. Maybe they're still 'working' in a sense, though? Cleaning the house, dealing with kids - each running their own empires.
But when that very same adult goes 'home' to visit their parents - it's a whole different ball game.
I love it.
I love seeing people around their parents because you are suddenly reminded that they used to be 'small' once. The guy that runs his own business - he had to learn to ride a bike. The co-worker who shines bright in the office and is always on top of everything that's asked of her - when she's with her parents, she's not much more than a little kid; rolling her eyes at her parents, assuring them that yes, she does eat enough and smiling at their daggy jokes or expressions that have become part of the fabric of her family.
I know around my own parents, I see myself through clearer lenses. I see a lot of who they are echoing in the chambers of my being. I have my Dad's love of storytelling, literature, poetry and dry, British sense of humour. I have Dad's propensity (sp?) for sarcasm and for finding humour in the mundane. I have my Mom's fire. She's a fiesty one, God bless her. I have her complete lack of logic, the same panicked, random, senseless, excited way of shopping, the same reckless abandon when it comes to finances of any kind. I have my Mom's determination, stubborness, and highly emotional reaction to anything and everything.
Like it or not, we are the sum of who raised us. We are very much the result of who we were around the most when we were young and for most of us, that's our parents.
And for me - I'm a mix of my parents. I'm also an echo of the things I learnt from my first husband, the goodness and kindness of my best friends, the professionalism and work ethic of my work colleagues, the people who bullied me and the ones who built me up. I think we all are.
The next time you want to really get to know a person - go along with them to their next 'home visit'. Watch them as they interact with their families. Listen to how different they sound when they speak to their parents. Realise that you are seeing that person in a completely different light when they are in the presence of the people who raised them and therefore know them pretty darn well.
It will blow your mind.
Like writing a book.
I have always wanted to write a book.
But what shall I write about? What if people don't like it? What if I fail? What if I don't finish it?
Well.
Today I'm going to write a book. Chapter 1 of it, anyway.
You have exclusive access to it on my blog because you basically know all my secrets anyway...so enjoy!
TITLE of my book:
Jane Bevan is a knob.
Prologue:
You're probably wondering who "Jane Bevan" is.
It might surprise you to find out she's someone I've never actually met. Her name popped up on facebook as she had reacted to a picture of a snake on someone's post - saying she was offended and that whoever posted it should have considered how people with arachnophobia would feel having to look at it.
Pfft.
When did we get so "politically correct" that we can't even post a picture of a snake without someone being offended? I mean...come on!
Really?
My husband - and my favourite person in the whole world - chuckled at her response, posted the words "you're a knob" under her comment, folded his arms across his chest and grinned while saying "I await the backlash"
and it hit me.
I liked the sound of those words all put together in a sentence: "Jane Bevan is a knob". I like the 'ring' of it.
So that's the title of this book :) this is the title of the story of my life! This is how I'm going to share my world with you. I'm pretty pleased about it and so excited to begin.
Oh.
Wait.
I've started this book on a bit of a tanget, eh?
Hi.
I'm Janet. I'm 41 years old and I've decided to write a book.
Not a fictional story - but a true reflection of my life as I have lived it and continue (God willing) to do so. This book is my thoughts, my musings, my hopes, dreams, fears and things that simply p*ss me off. I will incorporate my blog posts into this as chapters - the blogs I like the most - and I'll fill in the other chapters with thoughts I wanted to share with you, things I remember experiencing in my life and basically my "two cent's worth" on life in general.
Some chapters will be very short. This is going to end up being unusual as gosh darn it, I love to talk endlessly about nothing and everything. Some chapters will be long. Possibly too long. I'm not sorry about this :) There isn't really a 'beginning' and an 'end' to this book - it's more a mish-mash of thoughts, feelings, lessons I've learnt and things I want to share with you. I will try to protect people's identities by not sharing their full names/address/contact numbers (?) with you.
This book (my blog, really) is written entirely from my point of view so of course is coloured/biased to reflect MY thoughts and feelings. With that in mind, please take everything you read with a 'pinch of salt'.
My goal here is to take a bit of my heart and put it onto paper so I can share it with you. That's it. Nothing more. Nothing less.
If you enjoy reading this eventual book even half as much as I've enjoyed writing it, we're definitely onto a winner.
Chapter 1: "The 'rents"
There is something almost magical about watching a person around their family. Their parents in particular - because it gives you an almost open window to their true personality. I have experienced this with working with children for most of my life - that a child is an entirely different being when they are at home. Shy children are boisterous and cheeky at home, cheeky children are more serious, children you thought were trouble makers at home are actually really responsible and take care of their siblings, and children you thought were 'little angels' are little monsters when they're in their own familiar surroundings.
I'm learning of late that this is true for adults, too.
When you see an adult in a working environment, for instance - you see them dealing with stress, being polite even though they might not feel like it and holding a lot in. At home, I guess they're a little more relaxed. Maybe they're still 'working' in a sense, though? Cleaning the house, dealing with kids - each running their own empires.
But when that very same adult goes 'home' to visit their parents - it's a whole different ball game.
I love it.
I love seeing people around their parents because you are suddenly reminded that they used to be 'small' once. The guy that runs his own business - he had to learn to ride a bike. The co-worker who shines bright in the office and is always on top of everything that's asked of her - when she's with her parents, she's not much more than a little kid; rolling her eyes at her parents, assuring them that yes, she does eat enough and smiling at their daggy jokes or expressions that have become part of the fabric of her family.
I know around my own parents, I see myself through clearer lenses. I see a lot of who they are echoing in the chambers of my being. I have my Dad's love of storytelling, literature, poetry and dry, British sense of humour. I have Dad's propensity (sp?) for sarcasm and for finding humour in the mundane. I have my Mom's fire. She's a fiesty one, God bless her. I have her complete lack of logic, the same panicked, random, senseless, excited way of shopping, the same reckless abandon when it comes to finances of any kind. I have my Mom's determination, stubborness, and highly emotional reaction to anything and everything.
Like it or not, we are the sum of who raised us. We are very much the result of who we were around the most when we were young and for most of us, that's our parents.
And for me - I'm a mix of my parents. I'm also an echo of the things I learnt from my first husband, the goodness and kindness of my best friends, the professionalism and work ethic of my work colleagues, the people who bullied me and the ones who built me up. I think we all are.
The next time you want to really get to know a person - go along with them to their next 'home visit'. Watch them as they interact with their families. Listen to how different they sound when they speak to their parents. Realise that you are seeing that person in a completely different light when they are in the presence of the people who raised them and therefore know them pretty darn well.
It will blow your mind.
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