Between the Lines: Walking On Water

Between the lines is a place where I share a very small bit of a wonderful book. Or maybe a small but wonderful part in an otherwise lousy book. Or maybe somewhere in the middle. Between the Lines is my way of sharing things I may or may not underline (depending on if you think writing in books and cracking spines is loving books or abusing them) while reading, passages that hit home or are just too beautiful not to share. Read along!

While I started this series not writing anything much except sharing the passage I do want to give an intro to this book. I learned about this book one day while I was sitting with my friend April in a bakery/coffee shop on Hawthorne. A young woman walked in, really close to my age, and I saw in her hand a book. 

I don't know what it is about people carrying books, I'm a worse rubbernecker looky-loo for books than accidents. Probably because books I consider amazing and pleasant and accidents make my heart ache. 

When she walked in I immediately wondered what she was reading. Usually I just give books a casual glance when I see them in people's hands but for some reason I HAD to ask this girl about this book

As April and I cleaned up our dish we walked by the girl's table and I couldn't stop myself. 

Good news, she was a sharer like me. When I asked about the book she lit up and just started talking about how good it was and how someone introduced it to her.

The book stayed on my mind for a few weeks after that.

Finally, during my last Powell's adventure with Amanda, I decided to buy the book even though there were no used copies in sight. 

I do not regret it one little bit.

This book is my favorite of the year, and that's saying something because I've read some pretty awesome books so far this year.

Because I enjoyed this book so much there are many, many underlines throughout. 

I went back through all of the underlined passages before writing this post and I found one that I really, really wanted to share more than anything. Before I share it I want to say, Read This Book! If you like writing or alternative education or a story that speaks to hope and growth, read this book. This book will stay with me for many, many, many years.

So with all of that said, Happy Reading!

"I was furious, not so much at him as at all the people in his life who had convinced him they were taking care of him when they told him what was wrong with him, and at the entire culture founded on this lack of acceptance and nurturance, this lack of respect, this constant wearing away at people's capacity for self-love."

As this is a fight I have fought long and hard (trying to teach myself how to be okay and appreciate who I am) this sentence hit home. It has taken years of conscious effort to be okay with who I am and I still look for what people think is wrong with me or my work. I still want people to be critical and tear things apart. 

I'm not saying the opposite should happen and that everyone should be praise for everything, but there are other ways of getting messages across that are definitely more positive and nurturing to a human than tearing apart who they are and what they create.

Something to think about...

xoxo