Fabulous!!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Beautiful Things
Last night I attended a book discussion featuring my favorite author, Cheryl Strayed. This past summer, I read her book, "Wild," a memoir of her journey as a young woman alone on the Pacific Crest Trail. Her story resonated with me so profoundly as it has with thousands of other people. Although I've never hiked ten miles, much less the hundreds of miles she walked, I gravitated to her journey of reflection and eventual self discovery. On this particular trail, she came to terms with her grief, acknowledged her mistakes and found a path to a more enlightened, humbler life.
During the session, she read the last passage of her book "Tiny Beautiful Things" which is advice to her younger self so I had to buy it to read myself.
"There are some things you can't understand yet. Your life will be a great and continuous unfolding. It's good you've worked hard to resolve childhood issues while in your twenties, but understand that what you resolve will need to be resolved again. And again. You will come to know things that can only be known with the wisdom of age and the grace of years. Most of those things will have to do with forgiveness........ You cannot convince people to love you. This is an absolute rule. No one will ever give you love because you want him or her to give it. Real love moves freely in both directions. Don't waste your time on anything else. Most things will be okay eventually, but not everything will be. Sometimes you'll put up a good fight and lose. Sometimes you'll hold on really hard and realize there is no choice but to let go. Acceptance is a small, quiet room"
During the session, she read the last passage of her book "Tiny Beautiful Things" which is advice to her younger self so I had to buy it to read myself.
"There are some things you can't understand yet. Your life will be a great and continuous unfolding. It's good you've worked hard to resolve childhood issues while in your twenties, but understand that what you resolve will need to be resolved again. And again. You will come to know things that can only be known with the wisdom of age and the grace of years. Most of those things will have to do with forgiveness........ You cannot convince people to love you. This is an absolute rule. No one will ever give you love because you want him or her to give it. Real love moves freely in both directions. Don't waste your time on anything else. Most things will be okay eventually, but not everything will be. Sometimes you'll put up a good fight and lose. Sometimes you'll hold on really hard and realize there is no choice but to let go. Acceptance is a small, quiet room"
Sunday, April 7, 2013
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