I’ve been sharing this book so much lately that it dawned on me it would be a valuable one to share with you.
The title speaks volumes. Do you feel drawn to it? Do you imagine it will provide lots of practical, effective guidance for filling a major void in your self-care skills and help you substantially improve your life and relationships?
You got it.
It turns out that I’ve developed a very simple—and delightful!—system of note-taking.
I recently mentioned to a close friend how much I enjoy using a fountain pen filled with rose-colored ink to record notes throughout the day in a lined, turquoise notebook that is also a pleasure to use.
I was surprised by how eagerly she requested details. Turns out she accumulates paper covered with notes scrawled in such a hurry she can’t necessarily read them and was in the market for an improved approach. 🙂
Ann Patchett has a new book out, and it’s splendid.
The author of Bel Canto, The Dutch House, Truth and Beauty (a memoir of her friendship with the poet Lucy Grealy), and two moving, laugh-out-loud collections of memoirs, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage and These Precious Days—to name my favorites among her many—Patchett’s brand new book is Tom Lake.
On Long Pond, Belgrade Lakes, Maine
I want to say something about the preciousness of friendship—which truly is an unfathomable treasure of life.
In class last week I was reminded of a simple, beautiful teaching I learned when I first started practicing Buddhist meditation and that I’ve never forgotten.
It’s that a skillful aspiration is not to learn everything or to know everything but to remain open as the soil to the rain. If the soil is hardened, the rain runs right off. But if the soil is loose and friable, the rain can soak right in.
Six months later, I’m still thinking about something a sangha member said in class early one morning.
Another sangha member had invited people to offer healing suggestions relative to a particular problem she was struggling with. My contribution was to recommend Metta meditation, in which we offer lovingkindness to ourselves and others, and ultimately to all beings without reservation, which can be tremendously healing for all.
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