Howdy, chickadee!
I’ve been staring at this for the last 20 minutes:
Yup.
The publisher of my novel has asked for a short author biography to be included at the back of the book.
Go ahead and take a shot at writing it, if you want.
Oh sure. Smiley face.
We’re in the age of ultra short social media bios so this should be easy for me, right?
Umm…
Should be, except that I’m me and the over-thinking/over-analyzing department of my brain has invited itself to join the bio-writing committee.
Because, chickadee, this bio is forever! Aaahhh!
Daydream with me for a second.
It’s 20 years from now.
Some chickadee picks up and dusts off the book from a pile in her grandma’s basement.
A real printed book? Ha! So vintage!
She reads my name on the spine.
Hmm, who is Jody Lamb? Her name is weird.
She flips to the author bio page on the inside of the back cover.
What do I want this chickadee to know?
What, if anything, makes me un-ordinary and un-boring?
I’m just me.
Jody the daughter. Jody the sister. Jody the friend. Jody the pet caregiver. Jody the colleague. Jody the person you meet while standing in line at the ice cream shop. Jody the lady who stops to say hello because she just has to pet your dog.
And now, suddenly, Jody the author, too.
A blank Word doc makes an excellent place to stare and think.
Sweet you, who am I?
What is my FOREVER biography?
Besides being just another person among billions, what can I write about me and how I spend each 24 hours?
How do I sum up my life in 50 words?
Wait.
Is it even possible to write about who I am going to be 20 years from now?
Well, I might as predict my obituary.
Creepy! Eerie! Enough, Jody Lamb, with your nerves!
I know only this for sure:
- If I ever spit out an unreal, stale answer to the who-am-I question, I’m in trouble.
- I’m growing now and I’ll be growing 20 years from now.
I am an un-grownup. Always will be.
Why?
I wanna.
My biography written today may be way outdated 20 years from now. Or maybe it won’t.
What’s most important to me is that:
My purpose is in my heart and I follow it.
I always know my purpose, even as it evolves, and that I’m living it.
I’m genuine.
I’m the same person to you, as I am to my family, friends, people I work with, strangers on the street, those who read my book and myself.
Can all of these people who come to know me (at varying levels) get a good look at my heart?
I sure hope so.
Am I the same girl who wrote in her diary about big dreams and having a positive impact on the world?
Today, yes. A few years ago, no. Back then, I was still figuring things out.
There comes a time in every one’s life in which a decision is made to be you and follow your heart. Or not.
The choice is there, bright as the tangerine sun.
But the be-you route is often the much, much harder path because we’re living in a world where it’s so easy to lose yourself.
People carefully create a personal brand of themselves for their networks of friends on social media. They hang with the wrong sorts of people who make their shininess fade, fast. They let messed up or ill family members or other grownups warp or steal away our happiness.
I hope you always stay true to yourself and that you hold on to the knowledge that you have enough bravery when it gets tough.
And I hope you always make a point to have a clear understanding of who you are today and the kind of person you hope to be in 20 years.
And handle that with great care.
High five, little dove.
P.S. Thank you, Fenanov, for sharing the cool lake image and mwcarrutthers for the sweet cutie-pie in a rain jacket shot.
Jody – I love the fact you wrote this post in response to your requirement for a bio. I say send this in. lol or if you can reduce these 500 words into about 50. lol.
Considering it’s 5:30 a.m and I’m in Nicaragua without a thing to do at this hour of the day (except finish this @)(%*@) blog post I’m supposed to finish today), let me take a shot.
Jody Lamb a Michigan-based story-teller who writes for the young in age and heart. Although an adult, she is still trying to embrace being a grown-up while embracing her spirited inner-child.
Having grown up in a family which struggled with alcoholism, Jody is a passionate advocate for kids with alcoholic loved ones. She tries to live everyday of her life in sync with her personal mission and by always being true to her authentic self. Jody’s life revolves around family, books, writing, ugly dogs, peppermint ice cream, slow-to-fade, ear-to-ear smiles and insides-twisting laughter.
Jody, I think Vishnu there did a really good job on a bio for you!
Whatever you use will be wonderful because you are wonderful and there’s just no other way for you to be, or present yourself for that matter.
You can do it!
Love this post! I couldn’t imagine facing a task to describe who I am….It’s so complex to sum it up in words.
I guess what I would do is just start with who I think I am, who I hope to be, and work off that.
Your words of self encouragement are truly great….I know one thing about you….YOU ARE AWESOME!!
Oooooh Vishnu!!!!! Are you a guardian angel hanging out in Nicaragua assigned to write bios for panicky children’s book authors who clam up too much to write? Thank you so much. It is marvelously grand.
Sarah, mi amiga, you are so wonderfully dear to me.
Jeremy, thank you! My friend, YOU are awesome.
Hi Jody,
I don’t know what you should write but I’ll throw out one of my favorite quotes from my father.
“When all else fails, try the truth.”
I cannot begin to explain, how many times this one line has helped me, It helped me come to Japan, it helped me leave my job in America, It is my guiding light for every blog post I write, I even use it to help me decide breakfast on occassion.
Sometimes the best way to decide what to do… Is to know what not to do. So I have taken it upon myself to write a Jody Lamb biography that you should not use
“Hi, I am Jody Lamb. Ice cream is my achilles heel. I once ate a wrap with too much mayo and had stomach problems and used the experience to encourage others to slow the heck down. I love my dog Rocco and wish he could speak English . My dance moves are worthy of their own youtube channel (coming soon). Nice to meet you chickadee.
-Jody Lamb”
Izzy-san!
You’ve given me so much laughter this morning, I don’t need any coffee! Thank you. That bio does a great job of describing me and my weirdness. Awesome! Yay for weirdness. Your father’s quote is amazing. I will think of that often. You’re the best!