According to wikipedia, a manifesto is a published declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer.  It’s roots are found in the latin word manifestum, meaning clear or conspicuous.  In other words, transparent. Obvious.

I don’t know what brought you here, but if you plan to stick around it’s probably worth taking a minute to come to a mutual understanding of expectations.  (In case you don’t work in middle management, that’s corporate speak for “let me tell you what you’re going to get and then give you a minute to come to terms with it.”)

Ready? Here we go:

You will get funny stories about my children.  Because frankly, they are hysterical and make me laugh every day.  That laughter keeps me going when I’m so exhausted with everything else about life that I just want to drag myself to a deserted island and never move or speak again.  It recharges my batteries to think about those moments, relive them, and write about them.

You will get sarcastic rants about corporate life.  It’s too much a part of my reality to disconnect it from my thoughts, and sometimes it just needs to spill out.  Better on you, who are here by choice, than on my family.  They are pretty much stuck with me, whereas you can shake your head and walk away as needed.

You will get updates about my attempts to improve my health and the health of my family.  This section includes, but is not limited to, favorite recipes (or recipe disasters), fitness challenges, and probably a little bit of pleading for commiseration on days when I want to throw in the towel and order pizza to go with my cocktails and chocolate.  Those days come to all of us, my friend.  And I am no exception.

And you will get some honest moments, in which I examine my own intentions, motivations, and views.  Transparently.  Because after all, that’s what a manifesto is all about.