'Kate Holden is accustomed to being summed up at a glance: arts graduate,
history buff, middle-class daughter, dreamer, innocent. But she is a
young woman who understands better than most the secrets that people
keep hidden. In My Skin follows her journey from her reputation as a
'good girl' in the safe and leafy suburbs of Melbourne to the
all-consuming attractions of heroin and the sex industry.
This is a
story of survival and resourcefulness; an unflinching look at the
consequences of addiction. Holden's journey leads her from a sheltered
life in her loving family home to a world of sex for money - a seedy
netherworld of back lanes, backseats and brothels. More than just a
fearless and compelling narrative, In My Skin is a triumphant
announcement of a major new literary talent.'
I read Kate Holden's In My Skin as part of the Australian Women Writers Challenge, and the Eclectic Reader Challenge which called for a 'memoir'. As the book's blurb says - this memoir shows off a new talent; I was blown away by Holden's phenomenal writing. I was pleasantly surprised to see such beautiful prose in a shocking story of heroin addiction and prostitution. It is obvious that even with all the hard times Holden has been through, her creative talent has found its way up out of the mess. She is a wonderful writer.
Holden was a normal Aussie girl, slightly shy, an avid reader who loved
to write in her journal. That much I could easily relate to! In the
first pages of the book I felt I was reading about my own childhood. But
soon Holden's life would follow a path that mine didn't, and yet I
never once lost my connection to Holden as a person. Throughout her
story I could understand her motivations, even when she was making some
questionable choices. I could see the artist in her.
Holden's story reads in part like a typical sink into drug addiction. She starting out trying heroin for the fun of it, but the drug soon took hold. Holden began to lose herself in her crippling addiction. What sets this story apart is its eloquent writing - Holden brings a writer's eye to her life which offers a different perspective on drug addiction and prostitution. Holden is able to see the beauty in the darkness that is her life, and this is portrayed on every page of her memoir. Even though her story is sad at times, it is still very touching to read.
Holden is open about her lack of confidence, so it wasn't too unbelievable that such a promising young woman would fall into drugs and prostitution. But what I wasn't prepared for was just how much the sex industry would actually save her. It was in the brothels of Melbourne that Holden found a sense of belonging, a belief in herself and the self-esteem she so craved.
What I love best about Holden is her complete acceptance of her unconventional past. She doesn't hold shame about her life as a junkie or prostitute.
I like her frankness and her ability to open herself up and tell the
truth of who she is and what she's done. In My Skin is one of the best memoirs I've ever read and I was inspired by Holden - she managed to survive the downward spiral she was on and emerge from her shady experiences with her creative ability and self-acceptance intact. Despite the 'negative' subject matter this memoir is a story of empowerment. And it's beautifully written! A must read.
Monday, 12 August 2013
Monday, 29 July 2013
Book Review: A New Map of the Universe by Annabel Smith
Grace dreams of designing a house for her lover, Michael, a place where
they can begin their life together. But before she can step into her
future with Michael, Grace must journey into the past to confront its
crippling legacy of silence and secrets.
This lyrical, engaging novel spans two generations and both hemispheres as Grace navigates her new map of the universe. It is a story about grief and passion, architecture and astronomy, but above all it is a story about finding yourself.
I read Annabel's Smith literary novel A New Map of the Universe as part of the AWW2013 Challenge. I came across a review of this book from last year's AWW Challenge and it sounded like a beautiful piece of writing. I decided to check it out for myself.
This novel is literary fiction at its finest. The story is entirely character-driven; the heart of the narrative is the emotions of each of the main characters - Grace, Peter and Madeleine. But that doesn't mean there is no plot. Quite the contrary - a lot happens as this story spans two generations and two countries. Smith writes with brevity and lyricalism to highlight the major events that advance the plot forwards, while never losing touch with the most important element - the characters.
A New Map of the Universe follows Grace as she attempts to understand her life and the people who have influenced her - namely her parents Peter and Madeleine. Like the blurb says, it is a story of grief and passion. There is a lot of loss, sadness and regret in the story and for that reason it was very emotional to read. But there is also a lot of love, hope and awakening for the characters.
The novel is broken up into four parts - two from Grace's point of view, and one each from her parents'. I liked this as it enabled me to see deeply into Grace's family history, to see how lives can be forever changed by the things that are left unsaid. It reminded me that we are all a product of our personal family history, of the way our parents were treated by their parents and by the heartaches that hurt those we're close to.
A New Map of the Universe is a touching story about family legacy and the long-ago secrets that threaten to hold us back. Told in sensual language, the narrative explores the depth of human relationships and the impact grief can have on generations. It's a beautiful novel.
This lyrical, engaging novel spans two generations and both hemispheres as Grace navigates her new map of the universe. It is a story about grief and passion, architecture and astronomy, but above all it is a story about finding yourself.
I read Annabel's Smith literary novel A New Map of the Universe as part of the AWW2013 Challenge. I came across a review of this book from last year's AWW Challenge and it sounded like a beautiful piece of writing. I decided to check it out for myself.
This novel is literary fiction at its finest. The story is entirely character-driven; the heart of the narrative is the emotions of each of the main characters - Grace, Peter and Madeleine. But that doesn't mean there is no plot. Quite the contrary - a lot happens as this story spans two generations and two countries. Smith writes with brevity and lyricalism to highlight the major events that advance the plot forwards, while never losing touch with the most important element - the characters.
A New Map of the Universe follows Grace as she attempts to understand her life and the people who have influenced her - namely her parents Peter and Madeleine. Like the blurb says, it is a story of grief and passion. There is a lot of loss, sadness and regret in the story and for that reason it was very emotional to read. But there is also a lot of love, hope and awakening for the characters.
The novel is broken up into four parts - two from Grace's point of view, and one each from her parents'. I liked this as it enabled me to see deeply into Grace's family history, to see how lives can be forever changed by the things that are left unsaid. It reminded me that we are all a product of our personal family history, of the way our parents were treated by their parents and by the heartaches that hurt those we're close to.
A New Map of the Universe is a touching story about family legacy and the long-ago secrets that threaten to hold us back. Told in sensual language, the narrative explores the depth of human relationships and the impact grief can have on generations. It's a beautiful novel.
Monday, 15 July 2013
Book Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
For the Eclectic Reader challenge I needed to read a dystopian novel. I chose Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go because I heard about its science fiction element and was intrigued to see how its dystopian world would be created on the page.
Never Let Me Go follows the lives of three children - Kathy, Tommy and Ruth - as they grow together at an English boarding school and then on into adulthood. They do not live normal lives, however, as a terrible fate awaits them. The book is narrated by Kathy and slowly reveals the sci-fi element that shadows, influences, and ultimately destroys these young people.
The book is one long run-on memory. Kathy looks back over her life and the events that have stayed with her, the ones that influenced who she turned out to be, the moments that saw her shift from a child to a teenager to an adult. It's a book full of Kathy's inner life; it's her reminiscing and coming to realisations that she missed the first time around because she wasn't mature enough or knowledgable enough to see things clearly when they happened. We meet the rest of the characters only through Kathy's memory. Tommy is thoughtful and kind, but I did not like Ruth at all. She is manipulative and it infuriated me that Kathy herself seemed to hardly notice Ruth's true nature.
I found reading this book hard going, and not just because of the dystopian subject matter. The book is written in a strange style - it's an entire narrative of introspection. It does get a bit repetitive at times as Kathy is constantly trying to make sense of everything that happened to her and she often goes back over events in far too much detail. Ishiguro does succeed in portraying the oppressed and restricted life of Kathy, but I wasn't a big fan of his style of writing.
The sci-fi element of the book was quite subtle, even though it was always hanging around in the background. It soon becomes obvious that Kathy and her friends are little more than lab rats, but I never really came to understand the gritty details of how this process works. Ishiguro's narrative is so focussed on Kathy's thoughts and her perspective on the actions of herself and others, that the science behind their lives takes a backseat.
The book's blurb mentions a love triangle which does occur, but the book is actually about a lot more than that. It's about human rights. It asks the question - if your life is predestined should you be allowed to live a normal life up until your destiny is fulfilled? Never Let Me Go is a complex story with a harsh theme on the fragility of life and the power that others can hold over us. It's also a tragic story of lost opportunities. All in all, a very sad book indeed.
Never Let Me Go follows the lives of three children - Kathy, Tommy and Ruth - as they grow together at an English boarding school and then on into adulthood. They do not live normal lives, however, as a terrible fate awaits them. The book is narrated by Kathy and slowly reveals the sci-fi element that shadows, influences, and ultimately destroys these young people.
The book is one long run-on memory. Kathy looks back over her life and the events that have stayed with her, the ones that influenced who she turned out to be, the moments that saw her shift from a child to a teenager to an adult. It's a book full of Kathy's inner life; it's her reminiscing and coming to realisations that she missed the first time around because she wasn't mature enough or knowledgable enough to see things clearly when they happened. We meet the rest of the characters only through Kathy's memory. Tommy is thoughtful and kind, but I did not like Ruth at all. She is manipulative and it infuriated me that Kathy herself seemed to hardly notice Ruth's true nature.
I found reading this book hard going, and not just because of the dystopian subject matter. The book is written in a strange style - it's an entire narrative of introspection. It does get a bit repetitive at times as Kathy is constantly trying to make sense of everything that happened to her and she often goes back over events in far too much detail. Ishiguro does succeed in portraying the oppressed and restricted life of Kathy, but I wasn't a big fan of his style of writing.
The sci-fi element of the book was quite subtle, even though it was always hanging around in the background. It soon becomes obvious that Kathy and her friends are little more than lab rats, but I never really came to understand the gritty details of how this process works. Ishiguro's narrative is so focussed on Kathy's thoughts and her perspective on the actions of herself and others, that the science behind their lives takes a backseat.
The book's blurb mentions a love triangle which does occur, but the book is actually about a lot more than that. It's about human rights. It asks the question - if your life is predestined should you be allowed to live a normal life up until your destiny is fulfilled? Never Let Me Go is a complex story with a harsh theme on the fragility of life and the power that others can hold over us. It's also a tragic story of lost opportunities. All in all, a very sad book indeed.
Friday, 12 July 2013
100 Questions for my 100th blog post
To celebrate my 100th blog post here on Healing Scribe, I wanted to do something different and special. I wanted to share some more of who I am and my truth, so I've trawled the internet to find 100 interesting questions to ask myself. Answering the questions has been enlightening for me. :-)
So here's 100 random things about me...
So here's 100 random things about me...
1. Favourite word? Love
2. Favourite drink on a hot summer's day?
Pimms
3. Favourite drink on a cold winter's night?
Tea
4. Favourite movie of all time? Dirty
Dancing
5. Favourite book? The Time Traveler's
Wife
6. Favourite colour? Purple
7. Favourite artist? Jackson Pollock
8. Favourite song? 'Let Go' by Frou Frou
9. Favourite pastime? Reading
10. Favourite birthday, and why?
My 28th in 2010, the day my husband proposed
11. Favourite natural landscape? Rainforests
12. Favourite flower? Tulip
13. Favourite paid employment ever?
Proofreading a manuscript for a small publishing house
14. Favourite dessert?
Chocolate brownie
15. Favourite household chore? Washing
16. Favourite shiny object I own? My
engagement ring
17. Favourite perfume? White Musk from The
Body Shop
18. Favourite dinner my mum made? Roast Chicken
19. Favourite item of clothing? Polka dot dress
20. Most treasured book in my collection? My signed copy of Eat, Pray, Love
21. One item I would take to desert island? My hubby :-)
22. Best sporting event ever attended? ATP
World Tour Finals 2012 - Federer vs Murray
23. Favourite ice cream? Ben & Jerry's
Half Baked
24. Favourite environmental sound? Thunder
25. Musician I admire? Adele
26. Favourite famous person who I
admire, living or dead, who I'd like to meet? Oprah
27. Best time I've had playing with a pet?
Making our dog jump over a line of cushions
28. Favourite board game? Scattergories
29. Favourite TV re-run I could watch 50
times? Any 'Friends' episode
30. Experience of the
supernatural? Feeling the presence of an angel while giving a Reiki treatment
31. Nicest thing I've ever done for a
little kid? Teaching a girl how to write her name
32. Was I named after anyone? No
33. When was the last time I cried? Today,
watching a movie
34. Do I like my handwriting? Yes
35. Do I use sarcasm a lot? Yes
36. Would I bungee jump? Never!
37. Mountain hideaway or beach house? Beach house
38. Summer or winter? Summer
39. If I was a fruit what kind would I be? Blueberry
40. If I could time travel what time
would I go to? Ancient Egypt
to watch the Pyramids being built
41. If I won the lottery what would I
buy? A house
42. If I could have any five people to
dinner, living or dead, who would they be? Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson,
Roger Federer, Oprah, Robert Downey Jr.
43. Earliest memory? First day
of pre-school
44. What would my superpower be? Time
travel
45. Favourite animal? Horse
46. Do I believe in reincarnation?
Definitely
47. If I got a tattoo where would it be?
Foot
48. Favourite beer? Corona
50. Favourite day of the week? Saturday
51. Favourite number? 3
52. Favourite comedian? Ellen
53. Favourite childhood book? The Big
Honey Hunt
54. Favourite outdoor activity? Walking
55. What sound do I love? Laughter
56. If I had to change my first name
what would I change it to? Lily
57. If I could be any fictional character
who would it be? Harry Potter
58. What did I do growing up that got me
into trouble? Slamming doors during a tantrum
59. What do I do if I can't sleep at
night? Toss and turn
60. What is the strangest thing I
believed as a child? The world was once black and white (I got this idea from seeing old
B&W TV shows/movies)
61. Which animal scares me most? Spider
62. Where's my favourite place to take
out-of-town guests? South Bank, London
63. When do I find myself singing? All
the time; I love to sing!
64. Dog or cat? Dog
65. Coke or Pepsi? Coke
66. Batman or Superman? Iron Man ;-)
67. Pancakes or waffles? Pancakes
68. Santa Claus or The Easter Bunny? Easter
Bunny brings chocolate! :-)
69. Do I believe in life on other
planets? Yes
70. 3 of my best personality traits? Compassionate, loving, helpful
71. Celebrity crush? Robert Downey Jr
72. What would be my last meal of choice?
Chicken Burger
73. Favourite memory from teenage years?
First kiss
74. If my shoes did the talking what
would they say about me? This woman likes to sit down a lot ;-)
75. Sports I played in high school? Tennis
and Netball
76. What is my pet peeve? Singers who
mime
77. If I could meet anyone in the world
who would I meet? Ellen DeGeneres
78. If I could be famous for one thing
what would it be? Something I'd written
79. Where have I visited that I'd like
to go back to? Cat Island, Bahamas
80. Do I believe in God? Yes - universal
energy, not a man in the sky
81. Favourite movie quote? "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads"
82. Do I remember my dreams? Sometimes
83. Have I ever won a trophy? Yes, 'most
improved' tennis trophy
84. What's under my bed? Boxes
85. How far away from my birthplace do I live right now? The other side of the world!
86. Can I touch my nose with my
tongue? Yes
87. How many rings before I answer the
phone? Two or three
88. Do I like my name? Yes I love it
89. What do I do when driving alone in a
car? Sing!
90. The one cause I feel strongly
about? Equality
91. Do I play an instrument? I can play
the piano, but haven't done so in years
92. An activity I think is
really romantic? My hubby pulling me to him for a kiss
93. Would I like to build or design my
own home? Yes
94. Favourite swear word? F**k
95. Blue or black inked pens?
Black
96. Is the grass greener on the other side?
Usually not
97. If I could have three wishes what
would they be? Inner peace for me, world peace, and equality for all
98. If I could ask my future self one
question what would it be? Will I have kids?
99. If I had one hour to live how would I spend it? Hugging my loved ones
100. What inspires me? Love
Friday, 14 June 2013
Book Review: Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
A rare hybrid of vampire and werewolf, Riley Jenson and
her twin brother, Rhoan, work for Melbourne's Directorate of Other
Races, an organisation created to police the supernatural races - and
protect humans from their depredations. While Rhoan is an exalted
guardian, aka assassin, Riley is merely an office worker - until her
brother goes missing on one of his missions. The timing couldn't be
worse. More werewolf than vampire, Riley is vulnerable to the moon heat,
the weeklong period before the full moon, when her need to mate becomes
all-consuming...
Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she's going to find her brother. For someone is doing some illegal cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior - by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan. Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind - and just how much it needs her.
Luckily Riley has two willing partners to satisfy her every need. But she will have to control her urges if she's going to find her brother. For someone is doing some illegal cloning in an attempt to produce the ultimate warrior - by tapping into the genome of nonhumans like Rhoan. Now Riley knows just how dangerous the world is for her kind - and just how much it needs her.
For my Eclectic Reader challenge I needed to read an Urban Fantasy novel. Being new to this genre I wasn't sure which book to choose out of the vast number available, so I narrowed down my search to novels written by Australian women - that way I could satisfy my AWW2013 challenge at the same time. :-) That's when I came across Keri Arthur.
Arthur is an award-winning urban fantasy novelist and her Riley Jenson Series (of which Full Moon Rising is the first book) is widely popular. Starting the novel I could see why Arthur has a huge following - she is a great writer and the character of Riley is a strong and confident half-werewolf half-vampire who literally kicks some serious butt in the opening chapter. I liked how Arthur introduced her fantasy world and I enjoyed imagining Melbourne with the 'non-human' werewolves and vampires living amongst the regular humans. I was excited to see what adventures Riley would get up to as she searched for her missing twin brother Rhoan.
Unfortunately, after a promising beginning this novel went off on a path I wasn't expecting. Admittedly the book's description does talk about Riley's 'all-consuming moon fever', but I didn't expect erotica. I thought I was reading a fantasy novel based in an urban setting (one that might include a little sex) but not a steamy paranormal romance. I also have no experience reading paranormal romances, but I can easily spot the genre-defining clues when Riley starts to have sex three times a day! To me that's not really urban fantasy. Maybe I'm wrong, but regardless - I didn't get the book I was expecting when I chose it.
Riley is part werewolf so she is heavily influenced by the 'moon heat'. For a week leading up to the full moon all werewolves come under the fever that causes them to require an unlimited amount of sex. While I'm happy for Riley to have a couple of sexy partners who give her hours of pleasure, I couldn't help getting annoyed at the way Arthur uses this plot device to write scene after scene of sex marathons. It seemed ridiculous that Riley would be off having sex while her brother is missing!
I enjoy reading well-written sex scenes and while Arthur did a great job at developing Riley's intense feelings of desire, once the initial sex was over I thought it might feature once or twice more throughout the novel. But no. This was like reading Fifty Shades of Grey with werewolves! It became quite repetitive. Yes there is some suspense and a mystery of sorts to unravel in this novel, but with Arthur's narrative focussing so much on the 'burning fever' it was easy to forget about that side of things altogether. I found the suspense part of the plot lacked excitement and intrigue because Riley is so preoccupied with her moon heat, of which she seems to have no control over (it even gets her in to some morally questionable encounters that are too-easily glossed over when they are in fact quite serious topics).
I don't deny Arthur's ability to create a complex fantasy world; she is a good writer. It's a well-paced and engaging narrative and I had no problem finishing the book. Fans of erotic paranormal romances will love this novel, but for me Full Moon Rising was not the urban adventure I was hoping for. I've realised that steamy paranormal romances aren't really my thing (I like to read erotica that is more realistic!), so I won't be reading any more of the Riley Jenson Series.
Friday, 31 May 2013
Book Review: Inherited by Amanda Curtin
A dancer in a wheelchair. A collector of corks. One woman seduced by a
mountain and another by Freddo Frogs. A man who hears his dead wife's
voice. A poet whose voice has disappeared. A photographer distilling
grief in his lens. A sound designer stealing the sound of a room.
Written by Amanda Curtin, these are stories concerned with the gifts and burdens we inherit from those we love and from the world at large, and what we, in turn, leave behind. Families, relationships, memory, secrets, memorialization, creativity, collecting, ageing, and obsession all weave themselves through these 19 short fictional gems.
I read Amanda Curtin's short story collection Inherited as part of the AWW2013 Challenge. Curtin is a remarkable writer and each story is infused with a deep sense of loss and melancholy. For that reason it was a hard book for me to read. The writing is excellent and the stories are engaging, but the heavy subject matter sometimes proved too exhausting for me. That's not altogether a bad thing of course; Curtin has gotten to the heart of her characters' stories and made me feel things. That's a successful piece of writing.
The collection is broken up into seven sections - keeping, wanting, surviving, remembering, breaking, leaving and returning. These sections provide a theme for the stories and gave me a deeper understanding of what Curtin was trying to say. There are memorable characters and quirky situations and each story has hidden meaning if the reader wants to dig a little deeper. The stories are about what matters most in life, of what we leave behind when we die, of the longing that can ruin us, of regrets and desires and choices, and questions that may never get answered. The stories are haunting and full of sad memories. And yet they are still beautiful.
I don't usually read short story collections because I find the snippets of self-contained prose do not hold my attention in the way a novel does. While Curtin's writing is certainly superb here, I wasn't as invested in each of the characters like I would be over the course of reading a novel. But that is to be expected when the reader is given a short burst of a character, a short moment of feeling and emotion before the story ends and an entirely new scenario follows on the next page.
Of course the beauty of the short story is that they require brevity, so this collection is perfect for time-starved readers. Inherited proves Curtin is a short story master and I definitely enjoyed reading her collection. But I was reminded that short stories just don't give me enough time and connection with the essential elements of character, setting, theme etc. Like many of Curtin's characters I was left wanting more, which in hindsight I see was probably Curtin's intention all along! That's the work of an exceptionally gifted writer.
Written by Amanda Curtin, these are stories concerned with the gifts and burdens we inherit from those we love and from the world at large, and what we, in turn, leave behind. Families, relationships, memory, secrets, memorialization, creativity, collecting, ageing, and obsession all weave themselves through these 19 short fictional gems.
I read Amanda Curtin's short story collection Inherited as part of the AWW2013 Challenge. Curtin is a remarkable writer and each story is infused with a deep sense of loss and melancholy. For that reason it was a hard book for me to read. The writing is excellent and the stories are engaging, but the heavy subject matter sometimes proved too exhausting for me. That's not altogether a bad thing of course; Curtin has gotten to the heart of her characters' stories and made me feel things. That's a successful piece of writing.
The collection is broken up into seven sections - keeping, wanting, surviving, remembering, breaking, leaving and returning. These sections provide a theme for the stories and gave me a deeper understanding of what Curtin was trying to say. There are memorable characters and quirky situations and each story has hidden meaning if the reader wants to dig a little deeper. The stories are about what matters most in life, of what we leave behind when we die, of the longing that can ruin us, of regrets and desires and choices, and questions that may never get answered. The stories are haunting and full of sad memories. And yet they are still beautiful.
I don't usually read short story collections because I find the snippets of self-contained prose do not hold my attention in the way a novel does. While Curtin's writing is certainly superb here, I wasn't as invested in each of the characters like I would be over the course of reading a novel. But that is to be expected when the reader is given a short burst of a character, a short moment of feeling and emotion before the story ends and an entirely new scenario follows on the next page.
Of course the beauty of the short story is that they require brevity, so this collection is perfect for time-starved readers. Inherited proves Curtin is a short story master and I definitely enjoyed reading her collection. But I was reminded that short stories just don't give me enough time and connection with the essential elements of character, setting, theme etc. Like many of Curtin's characters I was left wanting more, which in hindsight I see was probably Curtin's intention all along! That's the work of an exceptionally gifted writer.
Thursday, 16 May 2013
Z is for Zest
It's week twenty-six of Alphabe-Thursday!
Z is for Zest...
Zest is all about enjoyment. It's the excitement we feel for any one particular thing. Or for life itself.
Sometimes, when things don't go my way, I can get lost in a sea of hopelessness. I find my enthusiasm is gone and my energy is depleted. I'm sure everyone can relate to that feeling.
But then I hear a piece of inspiring music, or something makes me laugh, or the sun comes shining out from behind the clouds, or someone gives me a hug and tells me they love me...and just like that I am reminded of something precious - this life, even with its hardships, is magnificent.
My zest for life returns.
We may never find that elusive balance or inner peace we all seek. Life will test us over and over again. But within that reality is a deeper, more remarkable truth - we're all miracles. Life is a miracle. Our ability to breathe and laugh and cry and experience is a gift all its own.
Even if you believe in reincarnation this life you are living now is the one life you have as you. There is nothing else. So do whatever it takes to find your enthusiasm for life. Do those things that make you smile and laugh and cry with joy. Find your zest for life and hold on to it. Let it carry you through the hard times. Take a deep breath and remember - you are alive.
** As this is the last of my 'Alphabe-Thursday' posts, I wanted to say thank you to all who read and commented on these posts. Blessings to you.
I finish with a simple yet profound quote that always makes me feel great about life; it reminds me of why I'm here and calms me down when I get carried away looking for answers to life's most puzzling questions...
"The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences"
~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~
Z is for Zest...
Zest is all about enjoyment. It's the excitement we feel for any one particular thing. Or for life itself.
Sometimes, when things don't go my way, I can get lost in a sea of hopelessness. I find my enthusiasm is gone and my energy is depleted. I'm sure everyone can relate to that feeling.
But then I hear a piece of inspiring music, or something makes me laugh, or the sun comes shining out from behind the clouds, or someone gives me a hug and tells me they love me...and just like that I am reminded of something precious - this life, even with its hardships, is magnificent.
My zest for life returns.
We may never find that elusive balance or inner peace we all seek. Life will test us over and over again. But within that reality is a deeper, more remarkable truth - we're all miracles. Life is a miracle. Our ability to breathe and laugh and cry and experience is a gift all its own.
Even if you believe in reincarnation this life you are living now is the one life you have as you. There is nothing else. So do whatever it takes to find your enthusiasm for life. Do those things that make you smile and laugh and cry with joy. Find your zest for life and hold on to it. Let it carry you through the hard times. Take a deep breath and remember - you are alive.
** As this is the last of my 'Alphabe-Thursday' posts, I wanted to say thank you to all who read and commented on these posts. Blessings to you.
I finish with a simple yet profound quote that always makes me feel great about life; it reminds me of why I'm here and calms me down when I get carried away looking for answers to life's most puzzling questions...
"The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences"
~ Eleanor Roosevelt ~
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