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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

april book club muse: not so big life


dearest blog readers + online bookclub junkies,

april is coming to a close and so is our focus on not so big life. from what you've shared, it seems like this was a powerful read and i recommend it as a must-have bedside book. however, as you may know, i have approximately 50 of those must-haves stacked by my bed hoping for some form of osmosis to occur! alas, hasn't happened yet. still waiting. 

this book touched me in many ways when i first picked it up early 2010. i have numerous passages underlined and consider it to be a bible on mindful living. what particularly spoke to me was her repeated emphasis on slowing down. (p. 49) 

j'adore this question: "how can you live your life differently so that it is constantly inspiring, so that time can be your friend rather than a tyrannical taskmaster?" (p. 35).

most of pp. 70-71 is underlined. embrace this: "i've been conditioned to believe, since childhood, that an effective person takes care of problems as soon as they arise. that doesn't sound like a bad thing. but it does have unintended consequences, the most obvious of which is that if you're always attending to problems that arise, you get around to what really matters to you only after you've taken care of everything else." resonate? le sigh.

pp. 170-177 offers up grand advice on meditation. 

the reminder to do one thing at a time on p. 223-225 is one to reread over and over. she writes, "this kind of multitasking is a highly addictive behavior pattern because it's brimming with adrenaline and it makes you feel wanted and important. . . . but at the end of the day, you feel drained and dejected, and you don't know why." sound familiar?

i could go on and on. this book is truly transformative and i hope you have all enjoyed the mindful journey sarah susanka presents in this book. 

dashing off to final 2 days of internship and sending you lots of mid-week joy. as we begin to transition into a new month, are there any suggested books for may? i have a few fabulous ones in mind (shocker!) and would love to hear your suggestions, too!

bisous. x


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4 comments:

pennywhistler said...

Can you give us a hint on May's title as soon as you have decided? I couldn't join in in April as I couldn't get the book from the library in time.

Jenni said...

any book choice is fine with me ,I can't wait to hear what it will be. This book club is so much fun, what a great idea you had,it's been very inspiring so far. Thanks!

Bronwyn said...

what about one of the wonderful art journaling books you have recommended lately?
xo

kimberly wilson said...

drumroll please . . . in honor of next year's jaunt to paris and provence, let's go with entre nous: a woman's guide to finding her inner french girl. fun, flirty, and a light read after our past two! x