October 30, 2024
With my box of props in hand, I walked into the prep room at NBC Boston. Maria Sansone, the morning anchor and host of Mom to Mom (where I'd previously been a virtual on-air guest), entered the room.
“Well, hi, Tidy Dad!” she said.
“It’s great to finally meet in person,” I replied, smiling.
We caught up, and I shared a bit about my life — teaching four days a week, being off school one day a week to work on writing my book, and the thrill of upcoming adventures, including a stand-up comedy performance the coming weekend.
She laughed and said, “That’s a lot!” And she was right—it felt like I was juggling A LOT, but I told her that the excitement fueled my creativity.
Maria wisely said, “Just make sure you leave some stories just for you.”
Having recently published her own cookbook, she shared how as writers, we often feel like we need to pour everything out — to leave no story untold. But we don’t have to share it all.
It was advice I keep coming back to, especially as I share parts of my life online and in my upcoming book
“Tidy Up Your Life". As a writer with the pen name “Tidy Dad”, I’ve had to discern which stories to share and which stories to keep close.
We get to choose how much we reveal and on what topics. For me, my marriage, faith, finances, politics, and personal information about my children are things I choose to keep close. Not because they don’t matter — in fact, it’s often because they mean more to me than some of the other stories that I do choose to put out into the world.
Whether you’re a writer or not, you get to make those choices, too. You get to decide what stories you tell and what you hold close. It’s a powerful way to honor what matters most to you. Not everything is for public consumption, and that’s okay.
Other experiences are difficult to write about or share publicly because they feel like they're still unfolding. It can be challenging to find the words to sum up thoughts or feelings on a topic while you are still living it. Sometimes you need the time and space to finish getting through a season before you can share the story with others.
One way I keep my thoughts and stories organized is with my writer’s notebook — for me, it's a daily five-minute practice. I jot down thoughts, questions, ideas, lists — some turn into future stories, and some don't. Some days, the struggle is just figuring out what to write about. I’ll be adding a quick writing prompt for you at the end of these emails — a small invitation to reflect and connect with your own experiences.
Writer’s Notebook Invitation:
Take a moment to think about the boundaries you set with your own stories.
- Which stories or experiences do you share with others freely? Why do these topics feel easy for you to talk about?
- Which stories do you keep close, for yourself or a select few? What makes these topics feel more private or personal for you?
- Are there any experiences or thoughts that feel like they’re still “unfolding”? What feels unfinished or like it needs more time?
