…on your willingness to acquire knowledge about hidden parts of yourself…

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P1050116I have been reading a book recommended to me by a friend, and I want to recommend it to you.

“Marriage is a psychological and spiritual journey that begins in the ecstasy of attraction, meanders through a rocky stretch of self-discovery, and culminates in the creation of an intimate, joyful, lifelong union. Whether or not you realize the full potential of this vision depends not on your ability to attract the perfect mate, but on your willingness to acquire knowledge about hidden parts of yourself.” (Harville Hendrix, Getting the Love You Want)

The thought strikes me that a “willingness to acquire knowledge about hidden parts of yourself” is what is required for any journey, including writing a novel.

The photograph is of my girls in San Francisco.

 

Getting Lost Isn’t Always a Bad Thing

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P1040277“Deep in the forest there’s an unexpected clearing that can be reached only by someone who has lost his way.” -Tomas Transtromer

Oh, Brother

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Growing apart doesn’t change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I’m glad for that. -Ally Condie, Matched

I found this quote this morning and tucked it into my Christmas letter. Obviously, I was thinking of my kids, but then I remembered the wonderful weekend at Leavenworth in September with my husband’s family. The featured photo is of my dad with his older brothers, circa 1938, but ain’t none of us getting any younger.

So, in the midst of all the holiday bustle, that’s what I want to write about today.

Happy Birthday, Grace Paley

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One of my favorite writers, Grace Paley, was born on this day in 1922. (The link will take you to her 1992 Paris Review interview.) She is best remembered for her short stories, and once, at the library, I found a set of cassette tapes of her reading her own fiction. If these are ever released on CD, I will be the first in line to buy them.

Paley was also well known for her political activism, and she wrote poetry. Here’s one, from Fidelity, published in 2008:

Anti-Love Poem

Sometimes you don’t want to love the person you love
you turn your face away from that face
whose eyes lips might make you give up anger
forget insult   steal sadness of not wanting
to love    turn away then turn away    at breakfast
in the evening    don’t lift your eyes from the paper
to see that face in all its seriousness    a
sweetness of concentration     he holds his book
in his hand    the hard-knuckled winter wood-
scarred fingers    turn away    that’s all you can
do    old as you are to save yourself    from love