#One of the standards I use when appraising a book is a quote or quotes that resound, that strikes a chord, that add meaning to my life. An example from Harry Potter: “The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”
#Albus Dumbledore. I enjoyed the novel, but finding that special message made it all the better. As I’ve stated before the truth can be tangly. Some are ready to hear an honest reflection while others prefer to avoid the discomfort that may arise as a result. Most often I work to be straightforward, however, when I see angst or anger spread across a face, I slow down and re-evaluate my approach.
#From Enquiry by Dick Frances comes, “Would you consider coming down to my level?” [he] asked. Her response, “Are you speaking literally, metaphorically, intellectually, financially, or socially?” You’ll have to read this mystery to understand the response as Roberta, the “she”, is tall, smart, rich, and a snob.
#I relate to this as I recognize that when I speak, let’s say about Alzheimer’s disease, I have to study reactions – am I sharing too much, too little, too openly, too abrasively, too technologically, too well acquainted with the stage of the disease a loved one has entered or exited. Don’t we all do that even sometimes the wrong filter falls into a spot where it does not belong. Then it is time to rethink and regroup.
#“The postcard is, in a way, what Jodorowsky would have called psychomagic…there are, in the genealogical tree, traumatized, unprocessed places that are eternally seeking relief. From these places, arrows are launched toward future generations. Anything that has not been resolved must be repeated and will affect someone else, a target located one more generation in the future.”
#Shared by Anne with her mom in The Postcard by Anne Berest, she is reflecting on a postcard received with four names printed on it, the names of her great grandparents, great aunt, and great uncle.
#As Anne works to discover their Holocaust story, the pain of the past manifests in the present. Her response toward the end to a disrespectful individual, “Deborah, I don’t know what it means to be truly Jewish or not truly Jewish at all. All I can tell you is that I am the child of a survivor [her grandmother].” This makes me think of those who came before me, what I carry of them, about them, secrets, truths, magic.
#This links to Mitch Albom’s, The Stranger in the Lifeboat. A bit like Life of Pi by Yann Martel, are the strangers real, imagined, past, present, future? I do not believe that to be Albom’s intent, but I pondered this line, “Maybe laughter after someone dies is the way we tell ourselves that they are still alive in some way. Or that we are.” This does not reference laughing at death, but traversing sorrow to meet understanding, exiting grief to enter acceptance, to realize that through memories those we love are with us forever – and maybe on to future generations if psychomagic exists.
#I admit that I enjoy non-fiction and books that make me ponder the mysteries of existence, but I also have a lighter side. “Movement is big medicine; it’s the signal to every cell in our bodies that no matter what kind of damage we’ve suffered, we’re ready to rebuild and move back toward life…trigger the magical ON switch that speeds healing hormones to everything you need to get stronger: your bones, brain, organs, ligaments, immune system, even the digestive bacteria in your belly, all get a molecular upgrade from exercise.”
#From author Christopher McDougall in Running with Sherman, he describes getting well after illness or injury. I realize that too much too soon can increase problems, but I also know that getting myself back together motivates and invigorates.
#His ideas encouraged me to register for a half marathon in the Amish Country. Trained and ready, I cancelled because of pneumonia. While I could have done it, I have a smidgeon of sense and an ER visit proved wiser. The miracle in this came with the right medicine at the right time and my body healed and strengthened, preparing me for the next physical adventure.
#Now I have slogged through disappointing books, but if I can find one phrase, one sentence that speaks to me, the struggle is worthwhile.