12/11/02’s illustrious band:

Essential Fraudulence

Brought to you by writer Anne Lamott, revealing a fear I think we all share: that someday They Will Find Out.

Find out what? That we're only masquerading as responsible adults; merely playing the role of important professionals; just trying on the garb of upstanding citizens. That we're not terribly clever or funny or even all that smart. Sure, my business card may have the grown-up title “editor” on it, but really I’m just a girl who likes to read.

I don’t think this essential fraudulence, as Lamott calls it, is a bad thing, necessarily. We all have roles to play, and most of us agree to play them in order to keep the big production going. I certainly wear a costume and makeup to my office every day. Fortunately, I get to play a role I enjoy. I like dressing up like an editor and being treated like an editor, and I like getting paid like an editor (although I’d rather get paid like a baseball player). But that’s not really who I am. Really I’m just a girl who likes to read. If I were discovered at my deception and required to comply with some truth-in-advertising law, that’s what I’d have to put on my card instead.

What does your real business card say?