Good enough, doggoneit!

I am jealous of people whose last name is “Goodenough.” I just saw someone’s name like that—the friend of a friend on Facebook. So-and-so commented on _______ Goodenough’s status: “so cool!!” That was the comment, as well as my sentiment about that last name. Granted, Rivers is a pretty, poetic (and pretty poetic) moniker. So I suppose it’s good enough. (Ha!)

As you can see, I’m still geeking out over National Grammar Day yesterday. National Grammar Day! (Spoken in repeat-for-emphasis mode, à la Josh from Drake and Josh. Only the parents of tweens and teens who read this blog are likely to understand what I mean about that.) To celebrate the occasion, I attended a webinar put on by Poynter called, “This Ain’t Your Grandma’s Grammar.” I lapped it up like a kid with an ice cream cone on a steamy summer day.

My book group recently read a memoir called Angry Conversations with God. Even though I had enjoyed hearing from the author, Susan Isaacs, at last year’s Festival of Faith and Writing, I didn’t like the book as much as I’d hoped I would. I won’t get into the various reasons why, but there was one part in particular that resonated with me. Isaacs is describing her adolescent angst in finding her place in the world (start with “My brother Jim...”):

Excerpt from Angry Conversations With God: A Snarky But Authentic Spiritual Memoir, By Susan E. Isaacs

When people talk words, they’re playing my note! Especially the kind of word talk associated with Poynter, which bears a decidedly journalistic bent. Yesterday’s speaker, Roy Peter Clark, distinguished between the old-school grammarian and the more practical rhetorician I think I am. Some people are pedantic about enforcing the right-proper rules. Other folks like me just wanna live our lives and try to tell some good stories. My stories, other people’s stories, God’s Story. There are many situations, of course, in which carefully constructed sentences are most suitable. But other times it’s cool to let it all hang out, spout a cliché or two, and pick a sentence to end a preposition in. (OK, that’s a forced example, but you get the notion.) Clark said the key is knowing when to don your tuxedo and when to wear the wrinkly tie-dyed T-shirt. I suppose the ability to make that distinction shows a certain level of panache in itself. 

One of my college professors said that the meaning of piety was “what properly goes with what.” I’m not sure that’s a spot-on definition, but I do believe in the power of context. And in that spirit, I’m giving myself some grace. I’ve been hard on myself this winter for packing on a few pounds since last summer. But—hello!—it’s winter! Many mammals hibernate in this season of scarcity, bleakness, and cold, so isn’t it natural that I’d be inclined to consume a few thousand extra calories between Christmas and Easter? In this climate/context? You bet! I was so excited to be wearing a size 12, and now I’m back up to a 14. But guess what? It’s Goodenough!