I call it my sacred bookshelf.
On its shelves are authors I hold in great esteem, whose words inspire me, and weave threads of influence into my own tapestry of writing. Built into the hallway wall just outside our bedroom, the bookshelf itself is magical. If I tug on the center shelf, the wall of books opens slowly, revealing a secret passageway into my closet of clothing.
On one side of the wall is a world of dreams. On the other is the reality of living. My challenge, always, is finding the balance.
As many of you know, I am writing a memoir, the story of how a man, a sailboat, and a freshwater lake provide beacons of light in my search for self. The writing is pure joy. Finding an agent so I can be published is time-consuming, confidence-shattering, unadulterated work!
Part of the work, the required “proposal,” involves comparing my book to what might be considered similar or competitive books. As a result, I have been reading nonfiction works that combine the rigors of outdoor adventure with deep personal reflection, books where authors pause at midlife to rethink direction, or dip into the bliss found when one chooses to be present in nature.
Regardless of whether one is trekking across the Pyrenees, rowing across the ocean, hiking the Appalachian Trail, wandering the ruins of Greece, Turkey, and France, or watching the hatchlings of sea turtles scuttle across a sandy beach to find water, the message is similar.
When one is immersed in nature, in silence, in solitude, one can feel the interconnection among all living things. One feels the presence of God.
And so this part of “the work” is sacred. For when I read the honest reflections of others searching for answers, willing to peel back the crusted layers of life to reveal their own imperfect selves, their messy—sometimes bloody journeys to find their truth and speak it clearly, bravely, publicly, I am both humbled and motivated to stay the course.
In my heart, I know it is what I must do.
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A couple of my favorite reads this winter include:
Choquette, Sonia; Walking Home: A Pilgrimage from Humbled to Healed; 2014
Finding forgiveness and freedom on the Camino de Santiago
Harlan, Will; The Wildest Woman in America and the Fight for Cumberland Island; 2014
A combination of Henry David Thoreau and Jane Goodall, Carol Ruckdeschel is a self-taught scientist who has become a tireless defender of sea turtles on Cumberland Island, a national park off the coast of Georgia.
Monk Kidd, Sue and Ann Kidd Taylor; Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother and Daughter Journey to the Sacred Places of Greece, Turkey, and France; 2009
Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter chronicle their travels together through Greece and France at a time when each was on a quest to redefine herself and rediscover each other.
Montgomery, Ben; Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail; 2014
Emma Gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small Ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than two hundred dollars. The next anybody heard from her, this genteel, farm-reared, 67-year-old great-grandmother had walked 800 miles along the 2,050-mile Appalachian Trail.
Murden McClure, Tori; A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean; 2009
“In the end, I know I rowed across the Atlantic to find my heart, but in the beginning, I wasn’t aware that it was missing.”
And since the tiny green tips of spring’s wildflowers are still buried beneath a frozen world of browns and grays, I am continuing to learn life’s lessons through books rather than risking another splash of frostbite across my cheeks. Any nonfiction recommendations you would like to share that might be considered “similar” are welcome. Just add a comment below or send me an email. While my bookshelf may be crowded, there is always room for truth!
Many thanks and happy reading.
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