At first glance, the retort to my two-page memoir may seem to carry a valid point: that my two-page essay does not accurately represent all the complexities of life. However, the retort fails to recognize that this was never the goal of the essay. On the contrary, the purpose of this piece was to convey an overview of the past rather than delve into the nuances of life. That's why I started with the line: "I was born in '86 and grew up in Pleasanton, California."
With this simple opening sentence, my essay was intended to give a broad overview of my life, as well as its key moments, as seen through a two-page format. And that's exactly what I accomplished. I touched on my childhood in Pleasanton, my move to Canada, my experience at NYU and Penn, my punk band days, my web company efforts, and more — all within two pages.
Moreover, the essay ended with a look into where I find myself now in mid-2021: hitting publish on this book. This provides concrete proof of how much can be achieved in a two-page memoir. By focusing on the big picture and key events in my life, I was able to convey an entire narrative in just two pages. It is wrong to believe this is not an accurate representation of a two-page memoir.
As they say, it's not always about the destination...it's about the journey. And with this two-page overview of my life journey, I've proven that sometimes you don't need too many pages to get your point across. Especially when it comes to journeying through life. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go live at the Borgata in Atlantic City again!