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A review by rwaringcrane
Steering by Starlight: Find Your Right Life, No Matter What! by Martha N. Beck
4.0
Martha's voice snagged me as I skimmed through an Oprah magazine in a waiting room several months ago. Her humor, intellect and sensible approach to life permeate her writing. I was hooked.
I borrowed this title from my library system and worked through the journaling with a large dollop of skepticism. But again and again her matter of fact, simple (not easy) methods for moving toward my "north star" made sense. Her passing observation about the "empty elevator" rang so true it brought me up short. I laughed out loud as she described her dog's reaction to a garden statue. Before reading to the end I ordered a copy of my own (hurrah for Better World Books!). I want to read it all again and mark up the good bits.
Added in 2022
Ten years later and the reread was as satisfying as the first time through. This time I marked up the good bits and more of the wisdom sunk in. I also realize that much of how I navigate my life now was inspired by Martha a decade ago.
The chapter "Leading Your Life" really resonated on this round. I've met people (am related to one or two) who just are not "amenable to ordinary relationships." I was unable to process this chapter ten years ago; probably because I was hadn't come face to face with practitioners of "dark arts". Or, more to the point, I was too invested in the approval of one or two relations. A few months ago I lamented to my therapist that on occasion I wished I were more able to be okay with the difficult behaviors of certain folks in my life, just be more zen. She basically said the same thing as Martha: "Let go of your hope for normalcy" with some folks (who Martha describes so well it made my skin bristle).
I borrowed this title from my library system and worked through the journaling with a large dollop of skepticism. But again and again her matter of fact, simple (not easy) methods for moving toward my "north star" made sense. Her passing observation about the "empty elevator" rang so true it brought me up short. I laughed out loud as she described her dog's reaction to a garden statue. Before reading to the end I ordered a copy of my own (hurrah for Better World Books!). I want to read it all again and mark up the good bits.
Added in 2022
Ten years later and the reread was as satisfying as the first time through. This time I marked up the good bits and more of the wisdom sunk in. I also realize that much of how I navigate my life now was inspired by Martha a decade ago.
The chapter "Leading Your Life" really resonated on this round. I've met people (am related to one or two) who just are not "amenable to ordinary relationships." I was unable to process this chapter ten years ago; probably because I was hadn't come face to face with practitioners of "dark arts". Or, more to the point, I was too invested in the approval of one or two relations. A few months ago I lamented to my therapist that on occasion I wished I were more able to be okay with the difficult behaviors of certain folks in my life, just be more zen. She basically said the same thing as Martha: "Let go of your hope for normalcy" with some folks (who Martha describes so well it made my skin bristle).