Coming Up Rose’s

The following is an excerpt from The Bible: A Review, a really funny post from my daughter Rose, my favorite blogger:

“I know my way around The Bible, and by that I of course mean: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, David and Goliath, Christmas, Easter, Loaves and Fishes, Almost Cut a Baby In Half, Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Rapture.

Leviticus 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD.  I’ve done this, twice, but one of my tattoos is hilarious and the other one is pretty, so I stand by them. I understand that the frequent all caps “LORD” in translations of The Bible is a stylistic choice and was not to indicate that Jesus walks around yelling his own name. But when I come across this in 2018 I can’t help but picture Jesus as some sort of ancient DJ introducing himself, arms raised, to a crowd in the olden days equivalent of Ibiza.”

There are many books I wish I’d written, including Anne Tyler’s entire oeuvre, ditto Anne Lamott’s, ditto Anne of Green Gables. There are also lots of plays/musicals I dream of having penned, such as everything by Stephen Sondheim, Tom Stoppard, and Brian Friel. In each case, I recognize the immense talent of the authors, and also understand that I could never do what they do. This is not a pity party, mind you; I am what I am (does that makes me sound like Popeye?), and I’ve made my peace with my writing style.

In the blogging department, in my opinion, there is a clear standout among the many thousands  of reflection/recipe sharers out there, and I happen to be related to her. Rose’s inaugural post of “The Draft” hit computer screens in late August of 2017. Since then, she’s been sharing her thoughts, some funny, some serious, from listicles to essays to movie critiques. And I think it’s great stuff, a lot of which I’d love to have written.

But Rose’s distinctive voice is completely different from mine. No surprise, as we don’t have the same taste in many things, from music (she is more an indie than a classical fan) to art museums (she just doesn’t enjoy them, I love spending entire afternoons in the galleries). I hate to exercise; Rose runs, does yoga, and even takes (yikes!) boxing classes. Rose is super tech-savvy. I am a true technophobe. Rose is senior project manager for a start-up that just landed a $250 million contract to develop media content for Walmart; I can barely manage the preschool playgroup craft project.

But we share much as well, including love, mutual respect, a humorous way of looking at the world, and a keen interest in writing down our observations. I can’t wait for more "Draft" posts, and everything else on her horizon. And I hope that only amazing, exciting and wonderful things are coming up, and that they’ll be coming up Rose’s.

Follow along: www.thedraft.nyc