Years ago, I read a beautiful book called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure edited by Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser. The premise is that individuals were asked to sum up their lives in six words. Famous contributors include Margaret Atwood and Stephen Colbert, among others.
I thought about the book recently when I was at my medical school reunion: A dozen of us sat around a round table and talked about what we had been up to for the last 30 years. After we finished, we concluded that the overriding theme was that all of us were doing something different than what we thought we would be doing. I found that concept refreshing, and I suspect it might be reassuring to current students who feel burdened with big decisions.
I just checked out the e-book from the library so I can read it again.
