The-The-The-That's All, Folks!

Well...wow.  I didn't think it would happen.

I started this blog at the beginning of the year not just to write a little bit, but also to help motivate me to clear off the "shelf of unread books."  It used to be 3+ shelves, and hundreds of books.  Yes, I would buy faster than I could read.  I don't know why...it seemed like a good idea at the time.

It had been my goal in 2009 to clear off the shelf, and that obviously did not happen.  So it became my "I really mean it" goal for 2010.  And - lo and behold - here is the shelf RIGHT NOW.

Empty.  It is completely empty.  I'm still stunned.

So the purpose of this blog has been met, and just in time for the new year.  So now, starting January 1, it'll be onto bigger and better things...over at The Open Road.  Come check it out.

The Death of Josseline - Margaret Regan

Wow.  WOW.  I just finished this book and am almost at a loss for words.

I bought this book through my church a few weeks ago; they are encouraging everyone to read it, and there will be two discussions groups after the new year.  I hesitated - don't I already have too many books to read? - but decided to go for it.  And boy...am I glad I did.

I think of myself as a reasonably intelligent man, but I will freely admit that when it comes to politics, I'm pretty dumb.  It's not that I don't want to or try to understand, it's just that, for whatever reason, politics just doesn't "stick" in my brain.  I don't get it a lot of the time, and when I do, it usually doesn't last.  This puts me at a strong disadvantage when it comes to political discussions, which tend to be discussions that can get heated.

So - what does this have to do with this book?  A lot.  In this book, the author spent time on the US/Mexican border and gathered all sorts of stories of what's really happening there.  Not sweeping political propaganda, but real stories.  From real people.  From migrants to ranchers to medical examiners to Minutemen to Border Patrol agents to - well, to almost anyone you can think of.  And she gets their stories, gets the facts, and tells those stories.  And it is SO POWERFUL.

Why do people want to come to this country so badly?  Why can't they just stay home?  What's the big deal if they do sneak in?  Why should anyone help them?  All of these questions, and so many more, have been swirling through my mind as I've read this.  Some get answered clearly, some are open to moral and philosophical discussion.  It's staggering though to read about the number of people who die.  And the US citizens who live in the area and who have lost their privacy to Border Patrol agents.  And the environmental impacts that building a big wall across a desert have had.  And the inaccuracy of what politicians have said publicly.  It's just mind blowing.

What is the answer, then?  I don't know.  If I knew, I'd share it with the world!  And the author doesn't claim to know either.  And that's part of why I respect her and this book so much.  There's no slant to it that I picked up on.  There's no "And here's why you should believe this or that" throughout the book.  She presents facts and stories from all different parties and points of view, and lets the reader make up his mind.  I wish there were more of this out there, or that I knew where to find it...It's so frustrating to have "news" be nothing more than 10% fact, 60% opinion and 30% propaganda.  Regardless of which "side" it's for.

I am very much looking forward to the discussion group in January.  In the meantime, read this book.  Go get it, read it and share it with others.  Learn some of the stories of what is actually happening, and how our country is (and isn't) responding.

Diabetes Burnout - William H. Polonsky

I asked my mother to get this book for me last year, shortly after I was first diagnosed with diabetes.  I just got around to reading it...even though I wouldn't say that I'm burned out (yet).  But you know what?  I'm glad I have it.  It essentially recognizes that since this is a life-long illness, there will be times where it just doesn't seem worth it to keep on doing everything that needs to be done.  It's not something I wanted, asked for or chose, and yet here it is and I have to deal with it now.  And, honestly, this can apply to much more than diabetes.

But every day - watching what I eat (theoretically), exercising (theoretically), taking the meds, monitoring my blood sugar...and knowing that it'll never end.  Yeah, I'm sure that at some point I will get burned out.  And after reading this book I'm glad to have it on hand.

The book provides good support and empathy why burnout can happen.  And it acknowledges the crappy parts of doing everything that needs to be done...but then rather than just stopping at the whining (which is what I might do), it helps to find answers and solutions and ways through or around the roadblocks.

So, luckily, I can't relate to all parts of this book...at least not right now.  But it's good to know that I'll have it on hand for when I do.

Awakening Your Psychic Powers - Henry Reed, Ph.D.

A very interesting book!  It wasn't exactly the book that I was expecting, but I liked it.  It's not just a "here's how to be psychic in 10 easy steps," but talks a lot about the life, experiences and teaching of Edgar Cayce.

A part that particularly intrigued me is the relationship with the spiritual, which was apparently very important to Edgar Cayce.  It's said in the book that he thought of the big Bang theory as God exploding out into all sorts of little "atoms," which were unique souls.  Unique, but all still connected and part of God, and each one containing the essence of God and unity and holiness.  But then these souls ended up creating physicality and here we are - still with our souls at the core, but the souls now having forgotten where they came from and that we are, still, parts of God with all of god in each of us.  So we go through life (and lives, perhaps) trying to re-learn this.  It is very similar to another book I read - not about psychic abilities at all, but about spirituality.  And I think that that's why it's so interesting to me, to see how closely they parallel.

The book talks a lot about different techniques to use: meditation, a dream journal, learning to rely on intuition, using a pendulum...and many more.  It's really an interesting read and looks at everything with a much more holistic view.

Writing Down the Bones - Natalie Goldberg

This is another book I've had forever. It's sort of a how to book for writing. I enjoyed it - and I probably need to start doing a lot of it! There are a lot of good tips and suggestions as well as some realistic ways of dealing with road blocks. I like it.

Transformation Soup - Sark

You know what I like about Sark?  Or one of the things, I should say: she doesn't act like she's perfect and like she knows how to do it all.  She's a regular person, like you, like me.  With faults and imperfections and who has made mistakes and will undoubtedly make more.  Like you...Like me.  Like all of us - which is perhaps what we all truly have in common.

This book is about her year dedicated to healing, and to transformation.  There are little nuggets in here, little gems, that are truly inspiring.  For example:

Let's just all realize and admit that the pain never ends and go on brilliantly anyway.  *Brilliantly, in this case, means: despite all forms of wanting to quit.
Let's realize that to experience our lives intimately means to be off-balance, out of control, and subject to all sorts of fragile and tender emotions.
We might say, "Then why do it?  Why not hide, avoid, resist, anesthetize, refuse, neglect, lie, work harder, gain more control, get more money, seek more escapes, and live in denial?"
You'll do all of these anyway and the pain just waits for another entry point.


But this isn't a book that focuses on pain.  A little further on the same page:

Joy is tougher to accept than pain.  Isn't this a curious paradox.  We are often more comfortable with pain and struggle because it's familiar.


Wow.

Yeah...good stuff.  Sark: I like you.

The Thinker's Way - John Chaffee, Ph.D.

Hi, The Thinker's Way.  Have a seat - are you comfortable?  Um...this is kind of awkward...but we need to talk.  I know that you have been so good and so patient, waiting around on that bookshelf for all of these years, just waiting for me to get to you.  Waiting for your turn.  And now it's here!  And it's wonderful!  And it's great!  But - I think we're just not going to work out.  What I'm saying is, I think I want to read other books.  No - no - it's not you, really, it's me.  Completely me.

We started out so well, it's true.  You were talking about how there seem to be less critical thinking skills today - or at least in our news and media.  And I couldn't agree more!  We are surrounded by sound bytes and data snippets, pieces of facts which are then surrounded by opinion.  And that's not critical thinking!  That's not looking at information, digging deep, knowing your sources, forming your own conclusions...not at all.

And when you said that learning to think critically can lead to clearer goals in your life and greater chances of attaining them...Again, I agree.  And being creative!  I like what you said about how "being creative" doesn't have to mean "being an artist."  I really enjoyed this paragraph about that.

Whenever you are investing your own unique ideas, you are being creative.  When you develop a new recipe or dance in your own distinctive style, you are being creative, as you are when you stimulate original thinking in your children or make your friends laugh with your singular brand of humor.  Living your life creatively means bringing your unique perspective and creative talents to all the dimensions of your life.  Creativity is not an add-on, something extra that you have to find time for in your busy life.  Instead, creativity is a better, richer, more productive approach to doing what you are already doing.  It's braided seamlessly into your life, not a bow that's added on for decoration.


That's brilliant!  I love it!  But I'm only a quarter of the way through, and I'm just not feeling this relationship.  Like I said, it's me.  I'm really close to the end of the unread bookshelf, and I'm probably anxious to move on.  So don't take it personally...I know that the right reader will come along.

The Bodacious Book of Succulence - Sark

Gosh, I don't even know how long I've had this book. I bought 4 of her books or so, without first reading any. Oh, those were the crazy days...

This is a fun, creative, interactive book about realizing how wonderful and amazing we all are in our imperfections. And how richer we would all be if we stopped trying to hide our succulence underneath our facades. It's a pretty fun book...and yet it touched on some pretty serious topics.

I was particularly touched by and able to relate to the part about death, and how you get thrown into the "death club" whether you like it or not when you lose someone close to you. Yup...that's true.

Anyway - a fun book that'll make you think. Check it out.

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy - David D. Burns, MD

This book was originally written in 1980, when cognitive therapy was truly ground-breaking.  And that's what this book is about: cognitive therapy, how to use it and how powerful it can be.  I have had this book for probably over ten years without reading it.  Now, it was time.

Some parts of this book show their age.  There is a section at the end about medications that is, well, 30 years old.  Most of today's popular anti-depressants didn't even exist then and aren't listed.  That's an extreme example, but there were definitely parts that made me realize this book was written a while ago.  Also, I didn't always appreciate Dr. Burns's writing style.  Two examples of things that didn't work for me:

Does that sound like heresy or stupidity to you?  If you think I'm contradicting the obvious, you may feel like burning this book or throwing it down in disgust.  If so, I dare you to read on...


Harriet mastered the...Method quickly and reported a dramatic change in her mood and outlook because it gave her a simple, effective way to handle a problem that had been very real and overwhelming.  When she returned for the next session, her depression - which had crippled her for over a decade - had lifted and was entirely gone.


Okay, seriously?  Over a decade of crippling depression gone just like that?  I had a hard time swallowing that.

Now, criticism out of the way, this is a good book in a lot of ways.  There are real, honest to goodness things that you can do to help.  My personal belief is that depression and moods aren't caused by any one thing necessarily; brain chemistry can be a factor.  Foods (like sugar, especially) can be a factor.  Exercise can be a factor.  And what's discussed in this book can be a major factor - but one factor.  That's just my opinion.  I got some good stuff out of this book, though.  I noticed that even just in reading it, when I'd put it down for the day, I would be feeling a little better - without doing any of the exercises.  Just by reading about them and how to do them.  And I think that that says a lot.

There's also a self-assessment test in one part that shows me that I am emotionally strongest in the categories of Achievement, Perfectionism, Entitlement and Omnipotence...and that I'm emotionally the most vulnerable in the categories of Approval, Love and Autonomy.  Close to what I would have guessed, but maybe not an exact match; and this is good to know, since it helps me see where I excel and where I don't.

All in all - a book worth reading for anyone with depression, currently or previously.  It can be one powerful aspect of dealing with it.