My favorite animals are the ones that have soft fur, wet noses, whiskers, and soft ears.
But I also like the ones that have feathers and fly and sing.
Oh but then there are the colorful ones that swim. And then there are some of the ones that swim that are really big and curious and smart.
I like the ones with big long necks and the ones with long funny noses that like peanuts but are afraid of mice. Is that really true?
I even like the ones that slither, although I keep my distance. And the ones that crawl, scurry, scamper, or hop. The ones that bray, or neigh, or moo.
What’s the oldest thing you own that you still use daily?
Hmmm… I own a lot of old things. I collect old books, I have some pretty old coins, old photographs, old records. But I don’t use those things regularly. So I would have to say the oldest thing I own that I still use daily would be my body.
My body will be 48 this year and it’s a little worse for wear, with the arthritis, poor eyesight (got my first pair of bifocals last year), and skin beginning to sag.
What a drag it is getting old.
But I do love my body and I’m grateful for it. My body is a vehicle for moving my soul around in 3-D, and while it may not be aesthetically pleasing to some, it is strong and reliable.
If my body were a real vehicle it would look like this one
A woman’s purse is a magical, mysterious thing. I was recently at a party with some old friends and we decided to share (like old friends do) the contents of our purses. It was very much like this scene from The Breakfast Club.
The bag sharing began because my friend asked me to hand her her purse and it was soooooo heavy. So I rhetorically asked, “Jeez! What have you got in there!”
And she very seriously responded.
Her bag had several compartments, and each one had a special purpose. Medications, travel documents, tissues and napkins, lipsticks and make up, fancy pens… all very useful items organized in a way that made sense.
Next she shared with us the weighty items. Why is my purse so heavy? Because I always carry an umbrella and a pack of wet wipes!
Then she pulls out a separate zipper pouch and lets each person guess what’s in it. Sewing kit? No. Make up? No. Money? No.
It was an extra pair of panties.
Cue the audible gasps and giggles.
It’s funny because at our age we aren’t having any wild, sexy adventures that would necessitate an extra pair of panties. No, at our age we cough and pee, sneeze and pee, laugh and pee. What have we become?
Our second friend to share didn’t share the entire contents of her bag, just the items that she carried that were similar to the first friend. She had her wallet, chapsticks, pens and wet wipes.
Then it was my turn. It started out very normally. I also have a wallet, pens and chapsticks! Ooh, and hand creme! All very normal things! Oh, and this is a rock I found, and here are some feathers I found. And what’s this? Oh these are some pieces of popcorn left over from the last time we went to the movies I guess. And here I have a bunch of old candy wrappers and receipts. I have a quarter, a nickel, and a penny.
So basically my purse is full of trash and things I found on the ground.
It was very revealing.
I’m not actually a woman, I’m three raccoons in an overcoat.
List three books that have had an impact on you. Why?
“Print media is dead,” she whispered to herself as she realized that most of the books that had an impact on her were made obsolete by the internet…
The first book on my list is this one, from the Survival Series for Kids, What To Do When Your Mom or Dad Says, “Clean Your Room”
(Not my photo)
I checked this book out of my school library in 3rd or 4th grade based solely on the title. Nine year old me was like, “awwww yeeeeeah… we’re about to stick it to the man!”
In reality this book was full of very helpful, practical tips on how to clean and organize your room. I still remember and use the information I learned from this book. From making the bed, to folding and hanging clothes, to vacuuming and dusting. This book was great and I still use what I learned from it 40 years later.
The second book on my list is this one- The Practical Guide to Practically Everything
(Also not my photo)
This book was invaluable to me in my twenties. Like many young people, I graduated from school severely lacking in actual life skills. I remember a conversation I had with my roommate at the time that went something like this, “Please help me, I don’t know how to do this very basic thing.” And she responded with, “You need a Practical Guide to Practically Everything!”
She lent me her dad’s copy and I wore it out. This was in the mid-nineties. Now anything you could ever want to know can be searched up on your phone. These truly are amazing times we are living in, but this book will always have a special place in my heart.
My third and final book is this one, A Complaint Free World by Will Bowen
(Again… not my photo)
I read this book in my thirties when I saw it recommended on a friend’s blog. It’s exactly what the cover says, stop complaining and start living. But it’s presented as a 21 day challenge, which gives you an immediate, practical application of the principles presented in the book. No complaining, gossiping, or criticizing anything for 21 days. And the accountability piece is a bracelet you wear on your wrist, and you move it from one wrist to the other whenever you catch yourself complaining, gossiping, or criticizing anything. I never made it 21 days, but just the awareness of how often I was being negative with my words, or even my internal monologue, gave me the opportunity to turn it around. So over time I became much less whiny and much more solution oriented. I still revisit this book. It’s given me a much more positive outlook on life.
So, there you have it. My three impactful books. Down to earth, straightforward, PRACTICAL advice for living in 3-D.
So I set a new reading goal for 2022. I’d like to read 24 books this year, two books a month. I’m thrilled to say that I’m already ahead of the game for January, as there have been many events this month that have given me cause to escape. It’s been a hard month. But anyway, January’s books were Untamed by Glennon Doyle and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Before beginning any reviews, I’d like to thank whatever divine providence brought these two books to me at this time in my life. The timing was uncanny, and these two books, though very different, have very similar themes. And here we go.
Untamed
Author: Glennon Doyle
Why I read it: This book was recommended by a friend several months ago, and apparently I downloaded the audio book when I had some free audible credits and I forgot that I owned it until I finished another book on my kindle and found myself with nothing to read.
Synopsis: Untamed is all about finding your way to your most true and beautiful life by unlearning and unbecoming all of the things the world has expected of you as a human (particularly a female human but not exclusively, the patriarchy hurts men too).
Reaction: I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH. This book spoke to me on so many levels, as a woman of a certain age living in the world, as a mother raising kids in the digital age, and just as a human trying to navigate my humanness. This book is like the wisdom of the ancients, but rather than some pointy headed man pontificating at you, it’s like having coffee with your girlfriend while the two of you untangle life’s challenges together. There were so many times I found myself thinking “YES!! THIS!!” These are the words for so many things I have been feeling but could not say. And I was thrilled when we got to the part about raising sons. And the way she tackles challenging scenarios with wisdom, humor, and wit. So relatable, so easy to love. Highly recommend this book.
Favorite Quotes:
“This life is mine alone. So I have stopped asking people for directions to places they’ve never been.”
“I can feel everything and survive. What I thought would kill me, didn’t. Every time I said to myself: I can’t take this anymore — I was wrong. The truth was that I could and did take it all — and I kept surviving. Surviving again and again made me less afraid of myself, of other people, of life. I learned that I’d never be free from pain but I could be free from the fear of pain, and that was enough.”
“In my thirties, I learned that there is a type of pain in life that I want to feel. It’s the inevitable, excruciating, necessary pain of losing beautiful things: trust, dreams, health, animals, relationships, people. This kind of pain is the price of love, the cost of living a brave, openhearted life — and I’ll pay it. There is another kind of pain that comes not from losing beautiful things but from never even trying for them.”
Book 2
The Alchemist
Author: Paulo Coelho
Why I read it: I bought this book several years ago and it’s been in my TBR pile. I bought it because it seemed like the kind of thing I should read, I liked the cover, and it was recommended for anyone with wanderlust. I finally read it because my work colleague texted me and said “YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT IT!”
Synopsis: The Alchemist is the story of a shepherd boy’s journey to himself. He visits a gypsy woman to have a recurring dream interpreted, and she tells him his treasure lies in the pyramids of Egypt. (This part reminded me of Pee Wee’s Big Adventure… “Your bicycle is in the ALAMO! In the BASEMENT!”) Along the way he meets a cast of characters, each of whom teaches him something important and guides him along the path to his treasure. Throughout his journey he follows omens, he learns to listen to his heart, and ultimately he learns that his treasure has been inside him all along. But he did get to see the pyramids and isn’t that neat?
Reaction: This book reminded me of one of my favorite books of all time, The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. It takes you on a beautiful journey and teaches timeless life lessons along the way.
Favorite Quotes:
“And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”
“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.”
“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.”
“Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life.”
The reason I wanted to thank divine providence for bringing these books to me is because these books, as different as they are, share a common theme. Listen to your heart. Trust your knowing. Your intuition is a gift. At a time when I’ve been looking outwardly for affirmation, for guidance, for help, these books reminded me that everything I need to achieve my ‘personal legend’ is already in me. I’m grateful for the reminder.
playing in the dappled sunshine 