Write Part of My Memoir in November, Day 19: The Present Is Postscript

Write Part of My MemoirWelcome to this 19th day of my memoir challenge, bringing  you deep thoughts about the nature of time. Sort of.

It’s widely accepted that earlier events impact how we experience the present: The past is prologue. Today I came to consider how current events shift our perceptions of the past: The present is postscript.

I woke up this morning to find three stories on endometriosis in Lenny, the new feminist newsletter co-created by Lena Dunham. For some reason, I’d thought it was a minor ailment, akin to warts. I was distressed to discover how debilitating endometriosis can be–for purely selfish reasons. I had devoted several paragraphs of my memoir to mocking someone who complained at length about suffering from it.

I’ll spare you the details. The situation — discussing a disease with strangers at dinner — was still funny in theory but less so now that I knew more about the topic. My mockery suddenly came across as mean spirited. And so I cut those paragraphs.

We learn and grow — which is why we write memoirs, I know. But how do we stop revising in the light of new information? Maybe I’d better quit reading, so I can stop learning and growing. I’ve got a book to finish.

 

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About the Author

Edie Jarolim is a writer and editor living in Tucson, Arizona. Sign up on this blog to get updates about her humorous tell-all/memoir, GETTING NAKED FOR MONEY: An Accidental Travel Writer Reveals All.

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