Esprit D’Escalier

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So, this is it and I have to capture this moment for my blog.. But, then, what is the big deal about what I am doing right now??? Fast food dinner at a table at the mall food court.. And a shopping list tucked in my hand for later.. How exciting..?! But, this night holds more meaning to it than just dinner and shopping to me.. In just two days, life is going to change for the better or for the worse.. I have made a conscious decision to take a break from work and be there for my kids while they grow and thrive..!!!!! Ergo, this little solitary moment all for myself, is important, both to reflect on my past experiences and thoughts about what the future might hold :))

But, the point is, in all reality, I should have just savored that time and thought of it fondly years later.. Instead, the first thought that ran through my head was, I wish time stood still and I think this will make a great topic for my blog.. ! And this brings me to the topic that has been on my mind for a while now..

I have often struggled to comprehend my need to share my “story” with the world, thinking of all the reasons why I would need a blog to vent, and why I felt this immense need to write down my feelings and put it out there for the world to see! And what is with these social networking sites that is so intriguing to people that made them so popular?!

I have always thought of this blog space as something very personal and a place where I can write what I want and show a side of myself which was waiting to be seen..

I came across this quote while I was reading about a news item on Vanityfair.com and this is how it goes.. “…author Reynolds Price about the human need for storytelling and the impossibility of surviving in silence.”.. I was so intrigued by this, that I couldn’t rest until I researched a little further.. !

And this is all I found so far on my hunt for the answer to my question..

“A need to tell and hear stories is essential to the species Homo sapiens–second in necessity apparently after nourishment and before love and shelter. Millions survive without love or home, almost none in silence; the opposite of silence leads quickly to narrative, and the sound of story is the dominant sound of our lives, from the small accounts of our day’s events to the vast incommunicable constructs of psychopaths.” — Reynolds Price

Reynolds Price must just have put it in the right perspective for me after all.. This is probably what the motivation might be.. Human need for narrative.. ! After all, I too am human..

The search for the right answer might not end here, but at least I have a starting point.. :)

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Vince Alongi via Flickr

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And the dictionary says: Esprit D’Escalier (Ess-SPREE dess-kahl-YAY):

French: A remark that occurs to someone only later, after the fact; the thing you should have said, but didn’t think of.

Esprit D’Escalier

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The Indian American Life