An ordinary life examined closely reveals itself to be exquisite and complicated and exceptional, somehow managing to be both heroic and plain. – Susan Orlean
I really like this statement. It’s from the introduction to Orlean’s new book, The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My encounters with extraordinary people.
What appeals to me about it is that it encompasses part of what I’m trying to do with Real Joe. We’re all ordinary Joes, but when we get increasingly better at examining the daily stuff of our lives, then we get better at seeing how “exquisite and complicated and exceptional” each of us is. And that message just doesn’t seem to come across very loudly in the culture we all swim in.