Why How Much of What

This is the promised explanation of why I chose to name this WordPress site “How Much of What.” I would have just used my name, but some variations of it were already taken and besides, how many people know the right way to spell Kathryn or Swartz when they hear the name?

After I scrapped using my name I tried to think of something lofty or closely tied to my personality or strengths or even weaknesses. I’m not passionate about gardening or housekeeping or much of anything, really, not even writing. In some ways I suppose I’m a rather blah person. Should I have taken a Charlie Brown approach and checked if “blahdom” was taken? Then people could visit my blahdom blog for insomnia relief.

I kept thinking about how I used to say that they could probably put “There’s a balance.” on my head stone because I’ve often said that. And that made me think of an email conversation.

I was emailing Stephanie J. Leinbach about my baby’s silent reflux problems and some possible remedies. I mentioned another friend’s recommendation of giving the baby kefir for reflux problems since that might fix gut imbalance and therefore help the stomach balances too. I wrote, “Donna Swenck seems to be THE fermented foods queen like Hurd is the bean queen. I’m not all gung ho about either one, but they surely have some good things we should do if we could only know for sure how much of what.”

Part of her response was this:

Your last sentence—that’s it, exactly. And that last sentence makes me want to get out the duct tape and say, “Get to writing. Now.” You do have a way with words that I hate to see go untapped.

Since she lives hundreds of miles away, I escaped the implied writing therapy: me + duct tape + desk chair. But I’ve been living on that good compliment for longer than Mark Twain supposedly said a compliment could keep him going.

Another thing Stephanie did was write and send her first edition of InkWell, an email newsletter for writers. She left no room for excuses like not having time. You have to make time. She encouraged writing every day, so I’m trying to do that.  Some days I only get an appointment written into my planner. Or a grocery list. Today I wrote two checks and a couple of emails and a blog post. Some days I would have to say, “Today I wrote nothing.” Maybe that counts?

Just a bit more credit where credit is due… before Stephanie there was Sheila J. Petre, with whom I wrote letters and emails and continue to enjoy fun conversations. She has encouraged me to write more. Before that my family and some friends have also enjoyed my writing whenever they could get their eyes on it. Before that I was born into a family with some writers and colorful people on both sides of the family tree, and before that God created me to like words and books and writing and writing books.

How much I get written, of what, God knows.