A funny thing to forget

Just a little follow-up to reflections on JD Salinger – thinking of his desire to be a literary giant and how, when he was recognized as one, he rejected the acclaim and did an extreme turnabout toward reclusiveness.

Our gifts, like the myths of old, are also our curses. They lead us into roles we long to escape. To escape the roles and the rules that come with them, we have to know ourselves and follow our hearts. Do what makes us come alive.

A friend said to me, “You ought to teach writing.”

I said – “I think I’d love that.”

He said, “That’s what you ought to do then. Do what you love.”

Such an odd thing – how the idea of doing what you love gets forgotten.