11 Things I Do Not Understand
Hi All,
When I am stuck for words, I write 11s- a writing exercise that my amazing writing coach Jena Schwartz taught me years ago. I had my weekly writing class yesterday and I had been unable to get any of the thoughts racing in my brain on to the page so I sat down to write ‘11 things I do not understand’. thought I would share both the process and the words with you all in case you might want to write your own 11s…
xo,
Stacey
11 Things I Do Not Understand
I do not understand how anyone likes the toilet paper to roll the other way or how Hamas fighters can be trained to kills other humans
I do not understand how to play mahjong or how a piece of land can mean more than life.
I do not understand how we all have come to agree that a table is called a table, an apple an apple, a cookie a cookie or how a mother can survive knowing that her son is in the hands of terrorists.
I do not understand how books are delivered through the air to my Kindle or how people in the Middle East are sleeping and eating and giving birth and getting married and going to work.
I do not understand how people can dislike dogs or how people can leave their homes knowing that their homes will no longer be standing if they are ever given the chance to return.
I do not understand the metric system or how I did not know until last week that Israel was formed only in 1948.
I do not understand how people seamlessly transition between one language and another or why Instagrammers are so quick to say I am right and you are wrong.
I do not understand how to make meatballs that taste like my mother in law’s or how to know what sources to trust as I try to understand centuries of Middle Eastern history.
I do not understand how people can see grays and greens in blue paint or how Joe Biden trusts anyone enough to protect him on his trip to Israel.
Apparently I do not understand when to use an a vs an e in the word grey or how people are sitting in their homes right now, waiting for another bomb to drop, knowing that they are going to die.
I do not understand any of this and I do not understand how there are people who claim they do.
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Stacey, this is stunning. I share your do-not-understands on so many levels. Thank you for writing this. I wish we never had to have any of these thoughts, but you expressed them powerfully.
Thanks for sharing the idea of 11s and for sharing your 11s. I do not understand any of the things that are on your list, and it makes me feel both more and less anxious that someone else doesn't either.