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A review by toniclark
Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope and Repair by Anne Lamott
3.0
I haven’t read anything by Lamott since Bird by Bird (1994), which I liked, but am guessing that many of her books would not be for me. I do like her writing, her humor, her use of image and metaphor.
Anne Lamott believes in a lot of things I don’t — God, souls, afterlife, submitting to a higher power — which often makes it hard for me to relate. But she also finds meaning in the here and now, in being present, being attentive, and that’s what I respond to. Her observations and advice about how to get past the seemingly insurmountable, through the pain and injustice, are inspiring. I don’t think you have to believe in a higher power to have faith in yourself.
One of my favorite bits: “It's pretty easy to think you know the meaning of life when your children are small, if they come with all their parts and you get to live in that amazing cocoon of oneness and baby smells. But what if your perfect child becomes sick, obese, an addict, or a homeless adult? What if you wake up at 60 and realize you forgot to wake up, and you never became the person you were born to be, and now your hair is falling out? You're thinking about this for the first time when maybe it's a little late, Your life is two-thirds over, or you're still relatively young, but your girl went from being two years old to being eleven in what felt like 18 months, and then in what felt like eight weeks to 15, where she has been now, sharply dressed as a bitter young stripper, for as long as you can fricking remember. Oh honey, buckle up. It gets worse.”
Lamott quotes Ram Dass, who said said that, ultimately, we’re all just walking each other home. That’s worth keeping in mind and living by.
NOTE: If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can listen to the audio of this book free via Audible Channels.
Anne Lamott believes in a lot of things I don’t — God, souls, afterlife, submitting to a higher power — which often makes it hard for me to relate. But she also finds meaning in the here and now, in being present, being attentive, and that’s what I respond to. Her observations and advice about how to get past the seemingly insurmountable, through the pain and injustice, are inspiring. I don’t think you have to believe in a higher power to have faith in yourself.
One of my favorite bits: “It's pretty easy to think you know the meaning of life when your children are small, if they come with all their parts and you get to live in that amazing cocoon of oneness and baby smells. But what if your perfect child becomes sick, obese, an addict, or a homeless adult? What if you wake up at 60 and realize you forgot to wake up, and you never became the person you were born to be, and now your hair is falling out? You're thinking about this for the first time when maybe it's a little late, Your life is two-thirds over, or you're still relatively young, but your girl went from being two years old to being eleven in what felt like 18 months, and then in what felt like eight weeks to 15, where she has been now, sharply dressed as a bitter young stripper, for as long as you can fricking remember. Oh honey, buckle up. It gets worse.”
Lamott quotes Ram Dass, who said said that, ultimately, we’re all just walking each other home. That’s worth keeping in mind and living by.
NOTE: If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can listen to the audio of this book free via Audible Channels.