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rainbowbookworm's review
3.0
This book vacillates between some solid chapters and some chapters that are merely so-so.
qnawal97's review
4.0
Definitely a good read and very needed. I feel like a lot of the chapters were incredibly relevant to issues I may have going on in my life or aspects of friendships I would struggle with but the advice given was spot on! I feel like the meditation portions of each chapter were also quite uplifting and also made the book interactive in a way!
youreadtoomuch's review against another edition
4.0
"To become a friend is to commit to a path of practice."
If you've known me for the past year, you'd know that one thing I've committed to is creating meaningful friendships. It's meant I've met many new people and alloted time to securing and reinforcing my existing friendships. It's meant losing friendships where we don't uphold and support one another. It's meant taking myself out of my comfort zone, becoming the friend I would want to have. It's brought a wonderful circle of support into my life that I can only hope my friends find the same from me. Which is why this book became a priority read for me.
Kate Johnson frames friendship as a spiritual practice in alignment to her Buddhist studies. While I was surprised to find this was the case, it helped reframe and strengthen the way I look at my friendships. Many of the suggestions in this book are many things I have already found myself practicing. Others, I had not began but am excited to work on. I'll list a few of the things that I got out of this book or think others should also take. Def recommend reading the book if any of these practices call out to you.
If you've known me for the past year, you'd know that one thing I've committed to is creating meaningful friendships. It's meant I've met many new people and alloted time to securing and reinforcing my existing friendships. It's meant losing friendships where we don't uphold and support one another. It's meant taking myself out of my comfort zone, becoming the friend I would want to have. It's brought a wonderful circle of support into my life that I can only hope my friends find the same from me. Which is why this book became a priority read for me.
"Friendship is something we practice not because we should but because we want to. Because it restores our access to our full humanity. Because it makes life beautiful and meaningful and divine."
Kate Johnson frames friendship as a spiritual practice in alignment to her Buddhist studies. While I was surprised to find this was the case, it helped reframe and strengthen the way I look at my friendships. Many of the suggestions in this book are many things I have already found myself practicing. Others, I had not began but am excited to work on. I'll list a few of the things that I got out of this book or think others should also take. Def recommend reading the book if any of these practices call out to you.
"To become a friend is to commit to a path of practice."We must actively work toward friendship, it will not come and/or last without effort.
"...we must make our minds environments where it is safe to fail."Friendships should be safe spaces, but we must also enter with an open mind that not every friendship will be the right one.
"When we make friends with ourselve... we become the kind of people others want to be around too."Self-love is so important. The energy we bring around others will be felt by others. We don't need to change who we are to fit in but we need to have compassion and acceptance for ourselves for others to care for us in return.
"...but friends can also break your heart."Not meant to discourage but to remind ourselves that friendships like life will not always be sunshine and rainbows. There is peace and value in having those hard conversations and moments.
"And, if we never reveal what we believe, what we care about, and who we truly are, then we deprive the world of our unique loveliness and we deprive ourselves of seeing that loveliness reflected back to us in the eyes of our friends."To be a friend is to be known. To be a friend is to learn others.
kympossible's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
5.0
kpem's review
This book is more about Buddhism and meditation than I was expecting. I was hoping it would focus more on politics and relationship/community building. It does include those things as well, so if someone was looking for info about meditation in relation to politics and community building I think this would be a great choice. It just wasn't what I was looking for.