Give it up : my year of learning to live better with less
Give It Up!
Though catalogued in the non-fiction section under “simplicity” and “self-denial,” I beg to differ. This would have better fit into personal memoirs because it is less about general and sundry tips for improvement, for which I had hoped, and more about how the author journeyed through her quest and changed her habits, or not. It is broken up into twelve months of the year, each representing a chapter, with an Introduction to kick off the concept of abstention.
“We must be the change we wish in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi. That is the famous inspirational quote at the genesis of the intentional adventure in loss. Alcohol, shopping, elevators, newspapers, cell phones, dining out, television, taxis, coffee, cursing, chocolate and multi-tasking are her chosen monthly subjects. Each month she goes without one of these things, detailing to us, the dear library reader, who sometimes nods periodically in agreement, chuckles from time to time and certainly ponders what such a quest would look like in our own lives.
The book is small in size and length, with a mere 196 pages and short chapters, this makes for a good read in the lead up to the New Year, a cause for pause and evaluation of all things in one’s own life. She comes to some conclusions that certain things cannot be extracted completely from existence, like a mobile telephone, and does sometimes find that one thing, like the lack of use of elevators, leads to a greater overall awareness for the need to exert oneself physically. These are but two of the notable moments that may resonate in your own life as you consider her experiences against your own and decide if, perhaps, such an adventure of your own might be worth constructing.
Though catalogued in the non-fiction section under “simplicity” and “self-denial,” I beg to differ. This would have better fit into personal memoirs because it is less about general and sundry tips for improvement, for which I had hoped, and more about how the author journeyed through her quest and changed her habits, or not. It is broken up into twelve months of the year, each representing a chapter, with an Introduction to kick off the concept of abstention.
“We must be the change we wish in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi. That is the famous inspirational quote at the genesis of the intentional adventure in loss. Alcohol, shopping, elevators, newspapers, cell phones, dining out, television, taxis, coffee, cursing, chocolate and multi-tasking are her chosen monthly subjects. Each month she goes without one of these things, detailing to us, the dear library reader, who sometimes nods periodically in agreement, chuckles from time to time and certainly ponders what such a quest would look like in our own lives.
The book is small in size and length, with a mere 196 pages and short chapters, this makes for a good read in the lead up to the New Year, a cause for pause and evaluation of all things in one’s own life. She comes to some conclusions that certain things cannot be extracted completely from existence, like a mobile telephone, and does sometimes find that one thing, like the lack of use of elevators, leads to a greater overall awareness for the need to exert oneself physically. These are but two of the notable moments that may resonate in your own life as you consider her experiences against your own and decide if, perhaps, such an adventure of your own might be worth constructing.
posted by Staff / Personnel @ 11:37 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home