Two Women Walk Into A Bar

Two Women Walk Into A Bar is a very short book by Cheryl Strayed that memorializes her relationship with her mother-in-law. It was offered free to Prime members in Kindle, and I read it in less than an hour. Strayed’s is definitely the style of writing I aspire to, and this short memoir reminded me of the QuigleyWorld blog posts I wrote about my parents’ health care adventures at the end of their lives. 

The kids gave me and Stu each a StoryWorth subscription for Christmas this year. I’m excited, and a little intimidated, to get started. Maybe writing will sustain me after I retire next year. God I hope so!

Tiny Beautiful Things

There’s a lot of wisdom in Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, the book based on her advice column Dear Sugar on TheRumpus.net. I highlighted a bunch of passages that felt like therapy to me, reminding me of the hard work I’ve done and must continue to do, coming to terms with being myself in a crazy but glorious world.

Many of the letters seeking counsel are poignant and some are humorous. Strayed’s responses are always captivating, thoughtful, and well-written.Her wisdom is sensible, as well as inspiring. Being a person is hard. Navigating our innermost emotions and desires is exhausting but necessary. Having a voice of reason, like Sugar, to listen actively and make sense of the background noise of our own thoughts is comforting!

Wild

 

It should not have taken me so long to finish reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed, but because I’m still working, it did! My tenth year as a grade five classroom teacher turned out to be the most difficult, never-ending, and exasperating year yet, but it has also provided moments of clarity, and opportunities for personal growth and reflection. 

Teaching writing is an important endeavor, and my own personal writing has always been a worthwhile outlet for me. In May, I was invited to attend this writer’s conference at Kripalu, the yoga retreat in western Massachusetts, by an old colleague. I almost declined because it was so close to my extended April vacation trip to Turkey. Thank goodness I went and didn’t miss out on this opportunity. Not only is Kripalu a beautiful place to visit and unwind, but the author Cheryl Strayed is so inspiring. Her workshop perfectly complemented a few days of clean eating, meditative activities, and communing in nature with like-minded individuals.