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animals, balance, books, Brene Brown, brie salad sandwiches, carrot cake, choices, creativity, depression, dogs, essays, Family, food, health, humor, inspiration, Ireland, Jenny Lawson, life, Mary Laura Philpott, memoir, motherhood, parenting, perfectionism, relationships, success, television, Travel, work, writing
There are times in life when a book comes to you exactly when you need it. I’d been having a good chat with myself for several months by the time I received an ARC of I Miss You When I Blink, a family meeting if you will- albeit with only one family member in attendance.
Without going into too many details, I’d been working a job that I loved more than anything, until I didn’t. Things changed and they changed quickly. I knew about two days into the school year that it was time to move on.
You can stand by your past decisions even if they took you to a present where you don’t belong anymore.
Yes, yes, yes! I felt so full of gratitude for the events, people, and situations that crossed my path and changed me, but it was long past time to hike a different trail- perhaps a moderately rugged one this time, preferably near a lake, yoga studio, or independent bookstore…
I started applying for jobs, filling in general applications so that when hiring season came upon me, I could click on specific positions and hit “submit”. Then I received a phone call. The principal and I spoke on the phone for well over thirty minutes, both driving home from work, and I knew that she was the person I wanted to work for. She offered to meet over coffee. I turned her down. I couldn’t leave mid year.
In the words of Mary Laura, “This is the book when you’re feeling like, ‘What the hell am I going to do with my life?’ and you need to know you’re not alone.” A memoir in essays, Mary Laura will inspire you to get on that elliptical machine, look at where you came from, see how you’ve outgrown your current situation, and kick some serious ass in the next big adventure!
But our lives aren’t one suspended moment, a single either-or choice; they’re a string of moments, a string of choices.
A month later, I emailed the principal and asked if the position was still available. I interviewed, I met with the superintendent. Seven days after turning in my letter of resignation I found myself in another state, lounging by a hotel pool, because my apartment wasn’t available yet and there was a snow day on my first day of school.
The book is Jenny Lawson meets Brene Brown- only WAY better! It’s one of the few that made me actually laugh out loud, but it also made me cry. It’s about being real and vulnerable. You can be some fancy pants lady getting paid to read books in your beautiful home wearing cozy socks designed for running that actually do quite well for sitting, but you also have to deal with medical scares, job loss, bills, and turtles knocking on your door. Life is work for everybody and “Nobody’s path is as linear as it looks in retrospect.”
I drafted this blog post months ago never anticipating that I would be working my dream job while living walking distance from Lake Michigan, a five minute drive to a yoga studio, and within 30 minutes of an independent bookstore that doubles as a live music venue, coffee shop, and wine bar. Best of all, I’m near family. My soul has always been in Michigan and it feels so good to be home.
Please read this, or… better yet- let’s read it together with brie salad sandwiches, carrot cake, and wine!