A review by jessicachenard_author
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist

5.0

I LOVED reading it! I want to share one of my favorite excerpts from the book & hope to share with anyone who made need it: "One of the traditions of this place is that when you see kayakers in the water paddling by from the nearby camp, no matter what, you stop & throw candy to them. Because it's fun. Because it's a sweet tradition. Because it makes people happy. If you knew me ten years ago, you'd say, that kind of thing is SO Shauna. But to be honest, I don't know if you'd say that about me the last couple years. One afternoon, the kayakers crossed in front of the dock while a million other things were happening. Two large boats were docking, a sailboat, & a few paddle boarders were trying not to get in the way. All at the same time, in a small space. But the man who was in charge of it all, our host - the one who was responsible for everyone, stopped what he was doing & sprinted down the dock to get candy. I had a little panic attack, because what he was doing seemed irresponsible. He threw candy, in the middle of it. Over & over, handful after handful. And everything was fine. As I watched from the deck I put my head down & I began to sob. Because I use to throw candy, right in the middle of it all. I use to no matter what. Then I became the kind of person who threw candy as long as nothing else was going on, at approved times. And then I got so wrapped up in being responsible that it was never the right time to throw candy. Then, the worst thing: I became the kind of person who made fun of candy-throwers...What a loss - for me, my family, & laughter & silliness we missed out on because I was busy being busy. I'm done with that kind of responsible. I don't want to get to the end of my life & look back and realize that the best thing about me was I was organized. I want to look back & remember all the times I threw candy, even when it didn't make sense. Especially when it didn't make sense. And that's why I'm throwing candy every chance I get." This my friends is what I want us to think about! I hope when I take women on hikes, play with my dogs, or go on trips with my Husband I know that it's about 'throwing candy'.