3 Books That Mentally Helped Me to a Finished First Draft
They all have 1 [critically important] thing in common
Call me sensitive.
Giveaway: They are all yearlong book projects
Thing to Notice: They all started with the writer.
In my humble opinion, anything that you commit an entire year to is a “labor of love.” In an age where the average attention span has contracted exponentially as the advances of technology have expanded, putting time and effort into anything for 365 days qualifies. It is undoubtedly something that holds enough value to oneself to add “labor” and “love” together in any description of whatever that “thing” is.
In that vein, here are three books that left an impression on me as I spent a year writing about compassion.
Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Many of you know this one because of the blockbuster movie starring Julia Roberts. Bonus points if you have read the book (many of you have, I’m sure.)
After a severe breakdown on the bathroom floor of her New York apartment, a decision is imminent; her life has to change. More tragedy soon follows in the way of a divorce and then a decisive but [hopefully] promising plan takes shape.
She decides to spend four months in Italy eating, four months in India praying, and learning how to “love” in Indonesia.
It is a self-proclaimed nature over nurture search within herself, longing to understand the balance between pleasure and devotion with the goal of finding love in all aspects of her life.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen’s epiphany happens on a rainy afternoon on a city bus.
“The days are long, but the years are short.”
Does that ring true with any of you? All of you? I know it does me.
So, Gretchen sets out to “Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun.”
I gave this book as a gift soon after its debut in bookstores. While I wouldn’t call it selfish, I had every intention to read it myself to see how I could apply what she learned to my life.
Who doesn’t want more happiness? (in its many forms)
Just one thing in this book could be the exact right thing for you at this very moment. If you are not familiar with Gretchen’s work, make it a point to get to a local bookstore.
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle / A Good Year by Peter Mayle
The movie “A Good Year”, despite a blockbuster cast (Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard, Albert Finney, Abbie Cornish and Freddie Highmore), wasn’t a blockbuster at the box office. It deserves far more attention than given. Opinions aside, we are talking about yearlong book projects and their authors, after all.
I believe we all have a realistic view of the life we live and a longing toward the life we want. Being content is not the most prominent emotion in most of our lives. Peter writes about the way he and his wife were able to leave England for the coast of southern France. An old farmhouse. New people and a new native language. The planting of a vineyard. You could best call it a renovation of their lives.
No matter the place or stage in our lives, there are always challenges and things to take pleasure in, and be grateful for.
I call all of these “compassion projects.”
They are experiences. They are challenges. They are new adventures with both fear and promise. They are changes in perspectives and attitudes and places and longings toward, and desires realized. They are true stories. They are you and me, too.
What about these three stories inspires you?
What compassion project has been ignited in you or needs to be revived?