"If you focus on what's harmonious and beautiful in your present surroundings, harmony and beauty will follow you.”
Lately, it’s been easy to focus on the harmonious and beautiful in my present surroundings. My oldest son got married a few weeks ago. It was such a lovely day—the sort of day where your heart freely dances with joy. (Having Rae in town for an extra 72 lengthened my dance.) Of course, in those happy surroundings, I felt the familiar ache of missing my mother. An ache made more acute by wedding bells and sacred vows. To settle this yawning longing for my mom, I thought to read one of her favorite books. I’m currently under Last Bus to Wisdom’s spell. A 1950s road trip with plucky Donal Cameron is soothing this girl’s soul. Rae said it best: reading our favorite Montana writer “feels like home.”
As comfortable as Doig has me feeling, I think it’s important to read books that make me feel uneasy too. It’s important to challenge our certainties, no? To let new light in. Wally Lamb’s The River Is Waiting will make you feel very uncomfortable, beginning in Chapter One. Corby Ledbetter is an unemployed commercial artist. While he assumes the role of Mr. Mom to twins and appears to be killin’ it (Corby plays a mean game of peekaboo), he’s a wreck emotionally as evidenced by his secret addiction to pills and alcohol. The unthinkable happens. Post-tragedy, Corby is sent to prison where he must learn to live with himself “on the inside.” He has a choice to make: “get busy living or get busy dying.” If you’re a big fan of The Shawshank Redemption like me, you’re bound to love The River is Waiting. Like Shawshank, this is a story about time, patience, and loyalty. About fighting off despair in favor of hope. Lamb reminded me to look for beauty in even the toughest circumstances—it’s there if you look for it. Hope is the catalyst that will ultimately allow beauty and harmony to follow me. Thanks Wally, love that new light.
P.S. If you’re a Law & Order fan, you’ll appreciate Jeremy Sisto (aka Detective Lupo) as narrator on Audible.