CALL ME SNAKE

On one of the NPR interview shows, novelist Jim Harrison said (this may not be an exact quote): “You only have a limited number of meal in your life, so why not eat well?” I had never thought of it exactly that way before–i.e., that we go through life with a meal ticket, of sorts, that has only a certain number of punch holes. When cast in that light, what Harrison said makes perfect sense.

On the other hand, of course, you could say that for just about everything you do in life, in which case the notion seems somewhat dangerous. Because in every aspect of existence, you’re likely to fall a bit short. Soon, every meal–and every night’s sleep–would become a disappointment rather than a pleasure. Which is why I tend to set the bar a little lower. And for me (in contrast to Harrison) that (bar-lowering tendency) extends to writing as well.