List of Favorite Books: For Inspiring Epiphanies and Pleasure
Jun.30.11

Because yesterday I talked about The Book of Awesome, I started thinking about other books I love and talk about with people so I’m just listing them here as some other books you might enjoy for your reading pleasure (besides Epiphany, of course) – some are new, some are old news, and some are classics (some in the true and trashy sense, but nonetheless…). And one, some, or all of these are certain to spark some kind of epiphany.

List of Favorite Books for Learning, Healing and Pleasure (In No Particular Order or Preference)

1.) Bossy Pants by Tina Fey – LOL funny and smart. Brilliant even. Also, quick read.

2.) The Paris Wife by Paula McLain – took a while to get into it, but if you are interested and love Hemingway (it’s about his first wife and their relationship and experience in Paris, aka: The Moveable Feast years), it’s a must-read. Beautiful.

3.) An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin – I liked Shopgirl better (love Shopgirl), but this was interesting and you learn about the art world.

4.) The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin – Sparked by an epiphany, Gretchen Rubin began this journey and recorded her year of studying how to get and stay happy. I adore this book and always talk about it. Funny, smart, very helpful. Was even optioned to be made into a television show starring Kristen Davis of Sex and the City fame. Her blog/website from whence the book was born is fab.

5.) Just Kids by Patti Smith – poetic and fascinating, personal look into the (in)famous era of the Chelsea Hotel in NYC in the 70’s and her growth and journey as an artist.

6.) The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan – funny, moving, very different from the other auto-bios I’ve listed. Mom, wife, family and cancer. Very cool woman. Love her voice.

7.) A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway – good to read before or after The Paris Wife too – I think I’m now going to reread. Makes you want to visit Paris, read more Hemingway and everything about that era, and see Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” and appreciate them all that much more.

8.) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand – unbelievable true story about WWII hero(es). I couldn’t put it down.

9.) A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux – one of my trashys and a really oldie but goody. If you like romance, fantasy and time travel, complete with a true knight in shining armor (with a sense of humor no less), this is an absolute classic – everyone who reads it is a fan…you’ll see, trust me. Dougless (heroine) and Nicholas…sigh.

10.) A Kept Woman by Louise Bagshaw – another trashy but great beach read if you like Jackie Collins-ish books. (I don’t read these types or romance novels but this one and “Knight…” were given to me ages ago and lived up to the recommendations.)

11.) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell – pop culture touchstone, as are his others, Tipping Point and Blink. Worth reading and always fascinating. Diane Warren talks about this book and concept in her epiphany, in fact.

12.) You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay – I think EVERYONE should have this book. Louise healed herself from cancer and has gone on to revolutionize alternative healing and growth and the self-improvement arenas. She is also the founder of Hay House Publishing. This short book started it all. It has a list of almost every physical ailment you could think of, the possible underlying emotional causes, affirmations to help heal them and contains enormous amounts of other invaluable information. If you haven’t read it, you must – at least once.

13.) PostSecret by Frank Warren – okay you have to go the blog and you’ll see why. http://www.postsecret.com/ – gorgeous, moving, funny – collections of the anonymous postcards sent in to this project of people’s deepest and darkest secrets. The books are an in between-size coffee table book. Very unusual and great gifts for the right people – and for you!

14.) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison – changed my life. Beyond powerful. Huge epiphany.

15.) Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl – Viktor Frankl’s account of enduring years in Nazi death camps and the ways he triumphed over it, let him to develop a psychotherapy approach called “logotherapy.” Quick, beautiful, important read for everyone.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~ Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

And as this list continues to grow, I will assuredly update it.

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Epiphany: The Book of Awesome is Awesome!
Jun.29.11

I love TED (if you don’t know it, you must go peruse around. I have heard it called “the YouTube of the intellectually curious,” so of course you will love it. : ) And I ran across this talk by Neil Pasricha on The 3 A’s of Awesome and fell in love. I love his blog, 1000 Awesome Things, and the epiphany that resulted in his book series: The Book of Awesome. His is one of those epiphanies that occurs when you have the moment of realization that change has slowly been happening within you and in your life. The epiphany moment is when you realize it. His focus on the simple things in life that are “awesome” results in cultivating mindfulness and a state of gratitude and is a way of “listening” and “paying attention” in life that I keep talking about, creating space for epiphanies to more easily happen and to be noticed when they come.

 

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Rupert Isaacson’s Epiphany: An Incredible Journey of A Parent’s Love & Breaking Through Autism
Jun.27.11

“Epiphanies are about transformation.
You do it through a leap of the heart.”
– Rupert Isaacson

It was such a privilege to interview Rupert Isaacson at his home in Elgin, TX and hear his incredible epiphany story first-hand. (The story of what happened after his epiphany is detailed in his riveting, best-selling book and film, The Horse Boy.) Not only does Rupert have a beautiful perspective of what epiphanies are and can do but his story so exemplifies the “listening,” or being open to these moments, looking for answers, and having faith in the inspiration when it comes and not caring what anyone else says or thinks about it (including the medical establishment). Then by taking action on what he felt compelled to do by his epiphany, an absolutely amazing journey and healing occurs. He had absolute faith in what he knew he needed to do for his son, for himself and for his family after having his insight. For me, this story is also about the deep love of a parent for his child and not stopping at anything to find a way to help him.

Below are a few excerpts from the book and the video of his interview. For more videos and information on Rupert, The Horse Boy Foundation, and their work with autism, you can go to his People page.

My son was diagnosed with severe autism in 2004. Initially we were told by the best-intentioned experts, therapists, and doctors that there wasn’t really anything we could do to help him, which was extremely depressing. I understood why they were saying this: Western medicine didn’t really offer any answers. But there was another part of me that said, “No. There is probably something we can do. We just don’t know what it is yet.”

…Since we’ve had such astounding results using horses and nature with Rowan, I wanted to make that option available to people who normally wouldn’t have access. We started a non-profit to fund a place where we could work with kids on the autism spectrum using horses, called the Horse Boy Foundation. We run it purely on donations, so money doesn’t stand in the way for anyone. We’re growing every year and we love this work.

Epiphanies are about transformation, leaping from one situation to another situation. How do you do it? How do you get there? How do you leap? You do it through a leap of the heart. And if that leap of the heart happens through a sort of leap in story, you decide to change the story. You decide to go to a new chapter in the story. And you do. Physically, or emotionally, or mentally. And the next thing you know, you’re living a different story.

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Epiphany: Having Faith and Speaking Your Truth
Jun.24.11

“Having faith in my experience gave me the courage to speak my truth, which helped others and changed my life.”

In January 2006, my neighbor Monty died in the apartment next door. I could hear his wife and daughter and friends who had gathered weeping through the day.

As twilight deepened, I made myself a cup of tea and was walking across my living room when I heard a voice, as clear as a bell, say “Tell them I’m okay.” Then I saw a brief vision of Monty jumping up and clicking his heels and laughing!

For a moment it felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room as my agnostic mind reviewed the revelation and began to reject it as my imagination. But, I couldn’t deny it. Then I thought, “If I share this, they will think I am crazy.” I delayed about an hour, trying to explain the event away as irrational, just a desire to bring my friends some comfort, etc.

It didn’t work.

I knew I had to go next door and share the message Monty had entrusted to me. I went next door and was invited in. I gently shared the message with my friend, Judy, Monty’s wife, hoping it would bring her some comfort. She promptly asked me to share it with everyone there, including the family’s minister. I plucked up my courage and just shared the message exactly as I had received it, including the little jig of happiness.

Somehow, speaking the truth out loud changed me. In that moment, I began a spiritual journey of transformation that has been truly amazing. I am now so filled with faith and knowledge of my loving Source, and all of it is built on the rock of experience that began with this moment when I had faith in what I experienced and needed to do and found the courage to speak my truth.

Kathryn, Sacramento, CA

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Finding Inspiration: What Bon Iver, Hipsters, Justin Bieber & Trees Have in Common
Jun.23.11

What inspires you?

I keep getting asked that lately. It’s a good question if you think about it. What does inspire you? Where do you find inspiration?

Inspire (v.): to give inspiration (n.): stimulation or arousal of the mind, feelings, etc., to special or unusual activity or creativity

For me, inspiration is found in many places and is sparked by many things. So many things. Movies, books and music always. And those always boil down to people. People are always my greatest inspiration at the end of the day. I suppose that’s why I can’t help myself to constantly collect their stories. The latest thing about us people that I have been focused on which keeps coming up for me in different ways is this idea or fact that we are powerful beings independently but we really are such interconnected and interdependent beings and oh-so-much-more-powerful when we unite–when we truly support each other with love and intention and action. And in the areas of music, books, movies, and of course, in this day and age, YouTube, this theme of our relatedness, of our interconnectedness, has been coming up…and in the most unexpected ways.

MUSIC
The latest music that I have found inspiring me is the genius Justin Vernon’s Bon Iver, Bon Iver. Haunting, beautiful, romantic, heartbreaking and uplifting all at once.

And this is the kind of person he is – below are excerpts from his handwritten liner notes of ‘thank you’s’ that almost made me cry.

And to more than anyone, (thank you to) my mom and dad. Who never encouraged me to try anything different. Who always raised me to be the best person I could be. For being my best friends and loving me so much. For as much life as there is to live, I will never be able to thank you enough.

For Kathleen for simply being, for simply loving me and bringing me the most peace I’ve ever felt in my life.

Literally, thank you to every single person who has bought, ripped, acquired, or handed off our records…if you got anything out of this, I feel successful.

(I concur. That’s how you feel when you put something out in the world – if you got anything out of this, I feel successful.)

BOOKS
Two very different books have inspired me over the last week. One is the hilarious Stuff Hipsters Hate by my fabulous editor, Andrea Bartz, at Psychology Today and Brenna Ehrlich. It inspired me for something I’m writing and I laughed my butt off all the way through, which as we all know, is excellent for the soul and well-being. This book is for anyone who has dated a hipster (wanna-be hipsters included). And on the other end of the spectrum, Prayer Partners: How Praying with Someone Can Multiply Your Blessings by August Gold and Joel Fotinos. I was randomly given this book while in New York recently and the whole premise is that you pray with another person for at least 90 days at the same time for the same amount of time every day and you will see your prayers answered and life change. It’s a beautiful book and here is this theme of holding intentions for one another and supporting each other in love and action.

FILM
Which takes me to the latest movie that has inspired me. And that would be, ready for this … Never Say Never. Yes, the Justin Bieber documentary that I just happened to see on a plane. I am recommending it to everyone. For me it’s an example of hard work, pure joy, love and people supporting one another, working together, all with the same intention. What Justin, his professional team, and his family did together in one year is unprecedented because of it. They have created a tribe and they seem to be a constant state of gratitude and wanting to give back as well. The kid is actually talented – he plays drums, guitar, and piano and the whole trajectory is a great story. His grandparents still make him clean up his childhood (he’s now the ripe old-age of 17) twin-bed room, and I think he made $100 million last year. This is SO not Michael Jackson. At least not yet. You have to see this movie – I cried and laughed and wanted to dance. I bought his album. I only can listen to about 2 of the songs but I don’t care. And the great news is, it’s G-rated so you can watch with anyone – kids and grandparents and first-dates included!

YOUTUBE
Finally, the latest thing I just heard that I can’t quit thinking about was from a video on YouTube someone sent me. In the video, a young man says that we needed to mimic in our lives the trees who, “Bring the sunlight from the sky, down into the earth, and then breathe oxygen out into the world around us so that others can breathe and have life.” He said if we just would meditate by looking at trees every now and again you would understand what he was saying and realize that it was true.

“Bring the sunlight from the sky, down into the earth, and breathe life into the world around you so that you might help others live and breathe.”

I thought one of the definitions of inspiration was very interesting after hearing this:

inspiration (n.): The act of drawing in, especially the inhalation of air into the lungs.

Think about that and think about what inspires you. It might even inspire an epiphany. Now I’m heading out to stare at a tree.

 

 

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