Page 35 - Fourways Gardens August 2021

Lifestyle

3. Women Who Run with the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes 4. Educated by Tara Westover
Maya Angelou said, “Everyone who can read should read this book.” This is an extraordinary memoir of the life of a girl, born in
Enough said. rural Idaho, to parents who, for lack of a better description,
were doomsdays prophets. They believed the FBI and
This is not an easy read. The author’s writing style is very rich government were watching their every move. They refused
and mature, much like the feeling you get when indulging in a to send their children to school, get medical care or
beautifully cooked lamb shank with a velvety red wine jus. It is a associate with people who were not stockpiling food for
remarkable book though. the coming end-of-days. As shocking and sad as her story
is, she compensates for it with her exquisite writing style.
She unpacks and rewrites fables and folklores that different cultures This book will appeal to anyone who has experienced any
have kept alive over generations, through storytelling to their form of childhood trauma (so basically everyone).
children and grandchildren. Many of these stories, heard in our
younger years, are so entrenched in our belief system that they have It is not a sad book per se, but rather an astonishing
become a part of who we are. What I have found most intriguing is account of how far a person can come and what they can
how these stories have dictated the way we view women, love and accomplish despite an imperfect upbringing. This one is
power. Just think of all the old Disney princess movies! So, if you for the bubble bath!
have the appetite for magic and medicine, this one is a must!

5. The Invitation by Oriah mountain Dreamer centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened
Now obviously, that is not the author’s real by life’s betrayals or have become shrivelled and
name. It was a name given to her by Native closed from fear of further pain! I want to know if
American elders and means one who likes to you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without
push the edge and can help others to do the moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.
same.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your
The best way to describe this book is to give own, if you can dance with wildness and let the
you a tiny taste of it. ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes
without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic,
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. to remember the limitations of being human.
I want to know what you ache for and if you
dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing. The book starts with this poem, of which there
It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to are seven more stanzas, each one as profound
know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, as the previous. They are unpacked further
for your dream, for the adventure of being alive. in the chapters that follow. This book is real,
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring raw, unfiltered, practical, complex, honest and
your moon. I want to know if you have touched the beautiful.

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

Fourways Gardens • 33 • August 2021