Page 31 - Blue Valley News August/September 2021

LIFESTYLE

4 . Educated by Tara Westover.

This is an extraordinary memoir of the life of a girl, born in rural
Idaho, to parents who, for lack of a better description, were
doomsdays prophets. They believed the FBI and government
were watching their every move. They refused to send their
children to school, get medical care or associate with people
who were not stockpiling food for the coming end-of-days. As
shocking and sad as her story is, she compensates for it with
her exquisite writing style. This book will appeal to anyone who
has experienced any form of childhood trauma (so basically
everyone).

It is not a sad book per se, but rather an astonishing account
of how far a person can come and what they can accomplish
despite an imperfect upbringing. This one is for the bubble
bath!

5 . The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer.

Now obviously, that is not the author's real name. It was a name
given to her by Native American elders and means one who
likes to push the edge and can help others to do the same. The
best way to describe this book is to give you a tiny taste of it.
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what
you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's
longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will
risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure
of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want
to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you
have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shrivelled
and closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if you can sit
with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it,
or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can
dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your
fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic,
to remember the limitations of being human.

The book starts with this poem, of which there are seven
more stanzas, each one as profound as the previous. They are
unpacked further in the chapters that follow. This book is real,
raw, unfiltered, practical, complex, honest and beautiful.

Happy Women's Month!
Contact Michelle via her website for coaching and well-being
resources - https://www.michellelraymond.com/

BLUE VALLEY NEWS • Issue 4 2021 • 29