Can we talk about Monday for a second? It was my first "official" day of summer and I am pretty sure it was one of the best days I have ever had. When I tell you what I did, it might not seem like much, but it was perfect in every way, just how I like it! I started my day with an early 4:30am rise, typical morning routine, and that new granola I had made the day before 😉 Then, it was tons of blog reading, news watching, leaving a message for my doctor, and then a trip to the library! I was so excited! My favorite place and I were able to reconnect after months of being apart! I took my time gathering two new books and just looking at the endless ocean of beautiful novels! I was in heaven. Then I decided to walk a few yards over to the park that is next to the library and finish Packing Light. It was such a glorious day to sit on a park bench in the beautiful sun and escape.
I would have taken a picture of this cute bench I sat on, but with the sun out I couldn't see my phone screen, so I had no way of finding the camera icon and snapping a picture, so just use you imagination 😉 When I came home, I made lunch, then read a little of my new book, but fell asleep for a quick half hour afternoon siesta! Then it was glorious yoga time! It felt so good to stretch out my body. The day ended with a great dinner of cumin turmeric cinnamon tilapia, a Japanese sweet potato with cinnamon (eaten with my hands like a cut in half length-wise hot dog), and some of a new recipe I have to share. Then just some blogging, emailing, a nice shower, and reading. It was so perfect. It feels like the summer just continued from last year! Like just yesterday I was doing whatever I wanted, sitting in the sun reading, doing yoga while watching the new wait for Prince Henry and Catherine to walk out of the hospital with their new baby (yes, I can still remember that day! O the things that stay with us!).
The only sad thing about that glorious day, was that I finished Packing Light. I can honestly say that book was one of the best I have ever read. It left me so inspired. I have so many things I want to write about that I had form in my mind while reading that book. It also just left me wanting to write. Period. Not just for the blog, but just to get pen to paper and let my mind flow. It is one of those books that changes you and you just can't help it.
Me "reviewing" this book would not give it justice. There is just too much to say about it and there is just so much emotion, thoughts, and concepts loaded in it. But the one take away I think was most important was that you need to take risks. You need to leave your routine, everyday life, the things you think you need, behind. You may feel like you are going to majorly fail and lose everything, but you won't. You are going to come out on the other side and have gained so much more. So much new. Something unexpected and something you probably never realized you were capable of.
You have to follow your dream too, even if you think it is so out there and will never pan out. You have to live for yourself and make you own decisions. If you chose not to, you will regret it, but you can only blame yourself and no one else. You never know what you are going to find out there or in yourself. It really can be scary, but fear only leads to growth if we overcome it. You will be surprised at the end and what you do have left and have found. It won't be what you started with, but it will be something new, something else.
This book had been sitting on my shelf since November. The simple cover and title always had me intrigued (yes, I judge books by their covers). I am so glad I finally picked it up to read at this moment in my life. It really gave me the courage boost and kick in the pants to fully embrace my soon-to-be changing life. I will definitely be "packing light" and leaving so much behind. But what is to come and what I will find will be so great, I can already tell.
I'll end with a quick overview of why Allison wrote this memoir taken from her website...
Have you ever thought about what you would do with your life if nothing was holding you back? What if you didn’t have to worry about how to pay your bills, or to maintain a certain image, or about what people would say about you?
What would you do?
Several yeas ago, I began to explore my own answer to this question, and as I did, I realized several things were holding me back from the life I believed was important. When I boiled them down to their most basic form, I was shocked to find I was giving up the things I really wanted to hold onto things I didn’t care about that much. Things like money, comfort, and keeping other people happy.
I didn’t feel like I had chosen the life I was living, and I felt trapped, confused and bored.
Inspired by the courage of a friend, and the story of The Rich Young Ruler from the Gospels, I decided to quit my full-time job, move out of my apartment, sell nearly everything I owned and spend the next six months driving across the country.
On the trip I started to discover what it looked like to live life with less baggage, both in actuality, and as a metaphor.
My friend (a musician) played shows along the way to help us pay for food and lodging, and I kept a blog about our adventure. Kind people shared beds, coffee and food. What I learned was that, even when I had nothing, I had a great deal. And in order to get what I really wanted out of life, I needed to be willing to leave some things (even good things) behind. There was only so much room in my suitcase.
I wrote a book about my journey called Packing Light: Thoughts on Living Life With Less Baggage.
If you’ve ever felt like you might be settling for a life that’s less than the “abundant” life Jesus promised, if you’re tired of feeling purposeless or bored, if you’re sick of letting meaningless things like fear and insecurity rule your life and get the best of you, if you sense there is something more, Packing Light is for you.
Filled with all the things you expect from a great drama, and a great life — love, friendship, adventure, conflict, triumph, grief and loss — I hope this story helps you discover what I discovered for myself, that the only way to uncover a life of meaning and find freedom to be myself was to lay down my heavy baggage.
What do you really want?
What’s holding you back?
So tell me:
+ Have you ever read a book that make a big impact on your thinking?
+ What have you let go of recently and what have you discovered in it's place?
*I am linking up with Amanda’s Thinking Out Loud today!*
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Weight4Baby (@Weight4BabyLT)
I am going to have to read that book. It looks like it would fit with where I am in my life. This year has been such a process of letting go and moving forward. Plus I am a life coach, so I bet this book would help inspire others. Sounds like a perfect day!!!
Leslie
http://www.weight4baby.com
Strength and Sunshine
I know it helped/inspires me a lot! If you want to get something out of it, you will! And I know this book will inspire others! Give it a go 🙂
Charlotte
That sounds like the perfect day to me, too 🙂 Yoga, a delicious dinner, reading a good book--these are just a few of my favorites, too. Hope you are enjoying every day of this summer and thank you so much for the book recommendation--I am going to add it now to my ever-growing Goodreads list 🙂
Strength and Sunshine
I wish everyday could be like that, haha!
Haha, I am so behind on my Goodreads list...89 books on the To-Read pile! Ah!
Danielle Zeigler
That book sounds really interesting and I really liked the quote you included. I'll definitely be looking into it! Thanks for sharing!
Strength and Sunshine
I'm so glad to share it with everyone! I wish everyone would read it, haha 😉
Amberly
I love sitting down and reading an entire book in one day!! 🙂 it's glorious!
Strength and Sunshine
Have yet to ever do that, haha but I have finished books within 2 or 3 days!
Brittany (@batrentham)
I'll have to look into that book!!
Strength and Sunshine
Yes, yes, yes! I know You'll love it!
Hima Rajana
Yay for summer! I definitely just put that book on my to-read list! I read Far From the Tree last year, and I loved it. It was hard to get through, but it was definitely an eye-opener.
Stopping by from the HCBN group on Facebook, hope you can come say hi too!
xo, Hima
HCxo, Hima
Hima Hearts
Strength and Sunshine
I'll have to look in to that one too, thank you! And thanks for stopping in 🙂 Don't be a stranger!
Casey @ Casey the College Celiac
Glad you're enjoying your summer! The library was my first hit after school ended too! I think I have twenty library books in my room right now 🙂 And they are all getting devoured very quickly!
I've read many books that have changed my thinking. My favorites are The Bluest Eye and Jazz by Toni Morrison. I LOVE everything from her!
Strength and Sunshine
The library is definitely my happy place! I could spend hours just wondering the stacks. And I will have to check those out! Never heard of them!
Nichole
Ohhhhh I need to look for this book! I think I would love it:) and that day sounds like an amazing first day of summer! You deserve to relax!
Strength and Sunshine
You would love it! ....well I'm pretty sure everyone would love it, haha! But it is just that good!
Erica Ligenza
This book sounds so so good!!!
But, first...you get up at 4:30 AM TO WORKOUT?!?! That is so inspiring and awesome, girl! Good for you!!!
lovelovelove,
Erica
cominguprosestheblog.com
Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Erica! It is really good, so go out and read it! 😉
runawaybridalplanner
You've picked a book I haven't heard of before, I'm going to have to watch for this at the library and check it out. Sounds like something that I may enjoy, thank you for sharing!!!
Strength and Sunshine
It is so great! Really and truly inspiring, so if that is what you want, this is it 😉
Erin (@girlgoneveggie)
Wow this book sounds awesome. I'm going to have to check it out. And I love libraries too!
Strength and Sunshine
Libraries are magical places! Haha!
Megan @ Meg Go Run
We had to cancel 2 airline tickets to Hawaii recently due to my husband's medical condition. Obviously we were devastated to not be able to go- but the other devastation was like it didn't seem like we were going to get a refund on our tickets. These tickets were NOT cheap and we saved and saved to make this trip. I was SICK thinking we wouldn't get our money back as I went through the very difficult and stressful process of trying to contact the airline and give them the proper documentation. Well, yesterday I had an email in my inbox from the United Airline refund department. Before I opened it, I took a deep breath and said to myself, whatever it says, I just have to LET IT GO. Sucky things happen in life. If we lose our trip money, that SUCKS but it is over and the more I think about it, the more unhappy I will be. I prepared myself. Well, I opened the email and it turns out we were given not a refund but a credit to use within the year. I could live with that. Sure, they still have my money but when my hubby is healthy enough to travel, we will have the credit to use. So things turned out better than I expected but I am glad I prepared myself to let the whole thing go beforehand
Strength and Sunshine
I hope everything is okay with your husband! XOXO
And I would have been the same way. I don't even know if I would have been able to let it go though like you. That takes so much strength to hold it together and something I need to work on.
I'm glad to hear it semi-worked out! At least the money isn't totally lost and it could be a perfect getaway once everything it better! A way to celebrate life!
Megan @ Meg Go Run
I just realized that SOMEDAY I would be over it and I wouldn't be mad anymore. If I decided to get over it right then and there, the sooner I could be happy again. So hard to do, but I guess in the grand scheme of life, I have much more to be happy about than sad about.
Strength and Sunshine
Those are some wise words to live by Megan! Keep it up 😉
Miss Angie
What a great post! This book looks wonderful!
Strength and Sunshine
It is wonderful! I never would have thought this would be one of my all time favorite books!
jillconyers
This sounds like a book I would love! Adding to my Amazon list 🙂
Strength and Sunshine
You would love it Jill!
findingmystrong
I need this book!!
Strength and Sunshine
Order it ASPA!
Amanda @ .running with spoons.
I've been looking for a good non-fiction book to read and this one sounds pretty amazing. I'll definitely be picking it up the next time I'm in a bookstore 🙂 And I think the last book like this that had a really positive impact on my life was The Happiness Project... I even had to bust out the highlighter because there was so much in there that I wanted to remember.
Strength and Sunshine
I almost took out the highlighter with this book! (But I felt bad defacing it!) I've been wanting to read the Happiness Project too! I'll have to be on the look out for that one next now definitely!
Janessa
I HAVE to check this book out! I haven’t read a lot of non-fiction, but I read “The Children of Hurin” by J.R.R. Tolkien and (as mad as it sounds) it got me thinking, “what am I doing with my life?” and it made me want to travel more and actually LIVE my life.
Strength and Sunshine
This book will do the exqcpt same thing!
eatsandexercisebyamber
I need this book now! I feel so inspired just from that litte blurb!
Strength and Sunshine
I can't stop thinking about it! I am trying to get my mom to read it right now so I can have someone to discuss it with!