I didn't write about my mother much in the third year after she died. I was still trying to get my argument straight: When her friends or our relatives wondered why I was still so hard on her, I could really lay out the case for what it had been like to be raised by someone who had loathed herself, her husband, even her own name.
Anne LamottJealousy always has been my cross, the weakness and woundedness in me that has most often caused me to feel ugly and unlovable, like the Bad Seed. Iโve had many years of recovery and therapy, years filled with intimate and devoted friendships, yet I still struggle. I know that when someone gets a big slice of pie, it doesnโt mean thereโs less for me. In fact, I know that there isnโt even a pie, that thereโs plenty to go around, enough food and love and air. But I donโt believe it for a second. I secretly believe thereโs a pie. I will go to my grave brandishing my fork.
Anne LamottNo matter what circumstances, it's hard to be a parent and maintain a sense of self and identity in the world.
Anne LamottWe write to expose the unexposed. Most human beings are dedicated to keeping that one door shut. But the writer's job is to see what's behind it, to see the bleak unspeakable stuff, and to turn the unspeakable into words - not just into any words but if we can, into rhythm and blues. You can't do this without discovering your own true voice, and you can't find your true voice and peer behind the door and report honestly and clearly to us if your parents are reading over your shoulder.
Anne Lamott