3/30/18 RMB What if
Dear Rita Mae Brown,
Teddy told me a few years ago to replace the word “should”
with “could” in my self-talk. The sentence “I could clean house today.” sounds so
much gentler and inviting than “I should clean house today”. It rather turns
the meaning to an option, an inviting opportunity.
This month, along those lines, I’ve tossed in “What if”.
Sometimes that’s the entire sentence. At others, it proceeds “(What if) I
really wanted this house clean, what would I do right now?” That one is in
keeping with the same theme, but it works for any kind of plan, to better
health, improve work habits, direct and steer my life, you get the picture.
It seemed a concept worth sharing, so there you have it.
By the way, I recently ran across an interview of you by
David Letterman dated May 18, 1983, on a show also featuring Johnny Winter. I
recommend searching it out for any RMB fans, or Johnny Winter fans for that
matter. We are fortunate to live in a time where the images and recordings made
in our lifetime are so easily replayed and enjoyed.
In my endeavor to read all of your books in order, I
recently finished Whisker of Evil, a collaboration with Sneaky Pie Brown. The
last line was one of my favorites, and it wouldn’t be giving away any of the
plot to share it. In a conversation about life after death the last line reads:
“I believe in life before death.” Mrs. Murphy smiled.
How very Mrs. Murphy that line is. What if we all reveled
and cherished life as much? What if.
Have a Wonderful Easter Weekend,
Loraine Paige
