Fits and Starts
Today I am grateful for the ability to read. Talk about something I take for granted. I am also grateful for the mix of hard copy reading material I have-including Runner's World magazine, our weekly paper, and whatever book or two I am reading at any given time.
The book I just got done with is Devotion, a memoir by Dani Shapiro. She has written several novels and another nonfiction work. She was referenced in a blog I follow. That is the blog of Lisa Bonchek Adams (http://lisabadams.com). I have mentioned Lisa before. I don't know her personally, but she is an amazing writer and a metastatic breast cancer patient. So when she suggested Shapiro's book, I followed up.
Devotion is about Shapiro's journey to find faith, to find life's meaning. The book jacket calls it a "spiritual detective story." I like her approach in the book-102 short chapters. Lots of good stopping points, which is good for someone like me who often falls asleep when I read.
"Fits and starts" comes to mind because that is how I would describe her efforts (and mine too) to get to the heart of the matter, the matter of life. Growing up in a traditional Jewish home, facing the tragic early death of her father, and seeing her son through a grave health issue as an infant were some of the experiences she worked through, in fits and starts. She is genuine, sharp, and witty in her writing. That's the kind of writing that grabs me and hooks me. She left me feeling hopeful, although the search for meaning in life can be messy and difficult. It is worth it. That is her message, at least the message I got. It is worth it.
She uses a variety of meditative practices, including yoga. On p. 76, she talks about meditation this way:
"All I knew was that sitting helped-and by that, I don't mean that it helped make me feel better. Let me be perfectly clear: meditation was not helping me feel better. It was hard, scary, and sometimes felt silly. What was I doing?"
I have found the practice of meditation to be difficult and it has literally taken me years to find ways that are effective for me. Effective in turning off mental overload and allowing in the important thoughts that need to get through. She calls it like it is. Hard work. I appreciate that.
But she found, as did I, that persistence pays off. It gets better, more productive so to speak. And then the labor starts bearing fruit.
The book I just got done with is Devotion, a memoir by Dani Shapiro. She has written several novels and another nonfiction work. She was referenced in a blog I follow. That is the blog of Lisa Bonchek Adams (http://lisabadams.com). I have mentioned Lisa before. I don't know her personally, but she is an amazing writer and a metastatic breast cancer patient. So when she suggested Shapiro's book, I followed up.
Devotion is about Shapiro's journey to find faith, to find life's meaning. The book jacket calls it a "spiritual detective story." I like her approach in the book-102 short chapters. Lots of good stopping points, which is good for someone like me who often falls asleep when I read.
"Fits and starts" comes to mind because that is how I would describe her efforts (and mine too) to get to the heart of the matter, the matter of life. Growing up in a traditional Jewish home, facing the tragic early death of her father, and seeing her son through a grave health issue as an infant were some of the experiences she worked through, in fits and starts. She is genuine, sharp, and witty in her writing. That's the kind of writing that grabs me and hooks me. She left me feeling hopeful, although the search for meaning in life can be messy and difficult. It is worth it. That is her message, at least the message I got. It is worth it.
She uses a variety of meditative practices, including yoga. On p. 76, she talks about meditation this way:
"All I knew was that sitting helped-and by that, I don't mean that it helped make me feel better. Let me be perfectly clear: meditation was not helping me feel better. It was hard, scary, and sometimes felt silly. What was I doing?"
I have found the practice of meditation to be difficult and it has literally taken me years to find ways that are effective for me. Effective in turning off mental overload and allowing in the important thoughts that need to get through. She calls it like it is. Hard work. I appreciate that.
But she found, as did I, that persistence pays off. It gets better, more productive so to speak. And then the labor starts bearing fruit.
I am grateful that I can read too. Admittedly, I don't set enough time aside to do it - too much time spent blogging I fear! But, then again, reading blogs counts, right? Anyway, I love Lisa's writing too. So if you both recommend this book, I'll have to add it to my list. Thanks for reminding me that reading is indeed something to be grateful for.
ReplyDeleteReading blogs definitely counts! I love reading to my son too, though bedtime is not always my best time of the day. I know it is only a matter of time and he won't need/want me to read to him anymore. I remember a book from my childhood called "Eloise and the Old Blue Truck." I think that book helped me like reading. It was about Eloise, a cow who was getting too old, so the farmer who owned her was going to sell her. The blue truck that was taking her to town to sell kept breaking down, until the farmer realized he needed to keep Eloise and they got back home just fine. The power of story! Nice to hear from you Nancy!
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