Six Word Memoirs Summarize It All

My sis sent me a link yesterday to Six Word Memoirs, a new book from Smith Magazine. It's exactly what you'd think: a collection of memoirs only six words long. Have you ever attempted to summarize your life in six words only? It ain't easy.

Go ahead, try it.

Like many of the examples on an NPR feature about the book, my initial attempts tended toward the philosophical:

The world confuses me – always will.
Wonder when I’ll figure it out?
Fear is powerful—love more so.

These kinds of creative exercises are important to any writer, because they make you focus on word choice, on intention, on voice. They force you to decide what exactly you're trying to accomplish - am I summing up my entire life, or just my views on life? Should I take a single moment and spend six words describing it and what it meant to me in the grand scheme of my more-than-six-word life? This was the list I ended up with:

The memories are mixed – mostly good.
Angry early on; I’m calmer now.
Over time, life became about love.
Never thought I’d be a writer!
My family is nuts – me, too.
Boston born...California bound...home soon?
I don’t see my nephew enough.

I found that with just six words to spare, there's room to convey only a single emotion, or expose only a single moment or sentiment. You have to choose between silly or solemn. I suppose that's fitting, like life.

How does your six word memoir read?