Thank you for this! I’m a big believer in audiobooks and feel uplifted when I have a manageable goal (finding the best sneakers, trying a new recipe, looking for the perfect gift) to balance the challenges the universe sends my way. That Tocca laundry wash sounds like a great little luxury gift when paired with a… ❤️
When started commuting to my new job this past summer, I had to think of how I was going to handle driving about an hour and 10 min twice a day. Since my car is a little older, I started listening to CDs and it really made all the difference. Initially I listened to books related to my work ("We're Not Broken" by Eric Garcia and "10% Happier" by Dan Harris) then I switched to mystery novels, which has really kept me attentive on those long drives.
Victor Frankl's slim yet powerful work on the meaning of life is hard yet so important, as you noted. I've already read parts of it for a counseling class but thinking perhaps I need to look for an audio reading of it. Thinking of the context of his book, I also think of Anne Frank, and when I visited her hiding place in Amsterdam. No words sufficent to describe how it felt to be there. Things are certainly put into perspective and hopefully will induce/increase gratitude for how much we have.
i just discovered you & i've been reading your posts at random and this was a zinger of a good one. i too have had the experience of listening to podcasts/ books while shopping, and the disconnect is sometimes too much. anyway, i just love your writing. thank you. during these difficult days, w/ everything looking like it's going down the tubes, well, this was beautiful.
I love how you bring the banishment of the ego, philosophy, universal consciousness and eyelash curlers together. There is so much to delight in, and that is the beauty of being alive.
Emery Boards and Eyelash Curlers
Thank you for this! I’m a big believer in audiobooks and feel uplifted when I have a manageable goal (finding the best sneakers, trying a new recipe, looking for the perfect gift) to balance the challenges the universe sends my way. That Tocca laundry wash sounds like a great little luxury gift when paired with a… ❤️
Val I had no idea you were actually going to deliver on the subject line of that email! 🧠💣
When started commuting to my new job this past summer, I had to think of how I was going to handle driving about an hour and 10 min twice a day. Since my car is a little older, I started listening to CDs and it really made all the difference. Initially I listened to books related to my work ("We're Not Broken" by Eric Garcia and "10% Happier" by Dan Harris) then I switched to mystery novels, which has really kept me attentive on those long drives.
Victor Frankl's slim yet powerful work on the meaning of life is hard yet so important, as you noted. I've already read parts of it for a counseling class but thinking perhaps I need to look for an audio reading of it. Thinking of the context of his book, I also think of Anne Frank, and when I visited her hiding place in Amsterdam. No words sufficent to describe how it felt to be there. Things are certainly put into perspective and hopefully will induce/increase gratitude for how much we have.
i just discovered you & i've been reading your posts at random and this was a zinger of a good one. i too have had the experience of listening to podcasts/ books while shopping, and the disconnect is sometimes too much. anyway, i just love your writing. thank you. during these difficult days, w/ everything looking like it's going down the tubes, well, this was beautiful.
I love how you bring the banishment of the ego, philosophy, universal consciousness and eyelash curlers together. There is so much to delight in, and that is the beauty of being alive.
This may be the best post to date. Have I said that before? I think I have.
I adore how you don't take forever to get to the point AND manage to make every word resonant with the power of so much thought and sincerity.
This was an intellectually ROUSING essay, Valerie, my excellent friend!
Vikor Frankl has been my guide for the last 30 years!
Wolf Hall, woman!
Happy Thanksgiving, Val!! <3
Rich and lovely. (The Frankl book is one of my favorites, hard as it is to take in.)