Book Review - WILD by Cheryl Strayed

Wild From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
by Cheryl Strayed

As some of you know, I LOVE reading books by female authors.  I love the perspective of a woman who some would refer to as being strong or fearless, though I'm not a big fan of the word "fearless."  I believe we all have fear in us and I also believe it is a great thing.  Without fear, no one would ever do anything great.  The thing about women I admire is that they are willing to push beyond the fear to fulfill a magnificent dream or to experience something great.

Cheryl Strayed's story of her hike on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a wonderfully honest and deep look into a woman who has been through some tortuous experiences in her life, from an abusive father, to drugs, affairs, the death of her mother and so much more.  I  immediately felt a strong bond with her though we have had very different life experiences.  She brought her story to life in a way that I felt like I lived every moment with her.

Her hike on the PCT tested her in every possible way.  It broke down her body, tested her mentally and threw out some obstacles which caused even some of the most seasoned hikers to throw in the towel.  And yet, through it all, Cheryl pushed on and found hope and kindness in so many ways, from California all the way up to the last inches of northern Oregon.

Cheryl's brand of honesty is the thing I treasure and admire most in this book.  She bluntly shares intimately real details about both the ugliest and prettiest moments of the adventure that has been her life.  Wild is a truly fantastic account of the experiences of this very special woman, and is ultimately a story of hope.  The subtitle says it all, "From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail."  What an incredible story.

Women

A couple of weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call at work from one of my college professors.  She had spent some time tracking me down to find out how to get a hold of me.  It was not only wonderful to hear from her, but she was calling to invite me to sit on a panel and speak to one of her classes.  It is always an honor to be offered the opportunity to go back to campus and share some of my knowledge and experiences with students.

I hold a Bachelor's Degree in Tourism, Conventions and Event Management from Indiana University which I earned attending the IUPUI campus.  The TCEM program gave me a solid foundation for all I have done in my professional life.  I remember how valuable it was when industry professionals would come in to speak to the classes I was taking in college.  I remember so much from what those individuals shared and how much I was able to learn about different aspects of the industry.  It is incredible to think that I am now the one offering up information about the path I took and my place in the industry.

Walking into the classroom, it was so nice to see my past professor and give her a hug.  There were a few minutes to get acquainted with the other four ladies who were on the panel as well.  Two of them I knew as we had gone through the program around the same time.  The other two were new faces.

Just prior to the beginning of class, two other professors who had given me great inspiration during my college career strolled in and took a seat as well.  It took a moment for me to take this in. These professors took time out of their day to sit through a class I was at the front of.  Wow!  How wonderful!

When the professor gave her class introduction, she indicated that this was the first time in her many years of teaching that she had an entirely female class.  I looked around and saw it was true. There were 18 women sitting at the desks around the room.  She said she had purposely sought out  five industry professionals who were also women to talk to this class.  How cool!

There's something so special about being in a group of women.  This is something I've only realized in the last year.  It may not surprise you to know that traditionally, I haven't understood the value in having close friends who are women.  With my interests and attitude, men have been easier to be friends with.

Last year, I started reading some books that were written to speak to the hearts of women.  (No, not 50 Shades of Grey... though I can greatly enjoy that kind of "women's book" too).  I was amazed at how deeply I connected with those books.  Because I am not the "typical" female in any way, shape or form, I anticipated the authors to have a hard time reaching me.

It really hit me while reading, Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge.  This little quote sums up the essence of the book quite well, "Every little girl holds in her heart her most precious dreams. She longs to be swept up into a romance, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, to be the beauty of the story. Those desires are far more than child's play. They are the secret to the feminine heart."

The book talks about the things that are truly at the core of a woman's heart.  Despite what her interests are or how life has affected her, these things seem to be universal.  Reading this book softened my heart and my attitude a bit.  It made me realize that I don't have to be 100% tough all the time.  I can have my guyish hobbies, but still be feminine at heart.  What an incredible revelation.  

Not only was did I become more passionate about the beauty of being a woman, but I suddenly felt a connection to other women.  If the things I read were true of me, they must be true of other women as well.  Maybe I had more in common with them than I ever realized.  I now consider it a blessing to have the opportunity to share time and experiences with the women in my life.  

Book Review - DREAM MORE by Dolly Parton

I picked up Dolly Parton's new book, Dream More: Celebrating the Dreamer in You the day it came out.  As soon as I got home with it, I got into my most soft, comfy clothes, slipped on some colorful, fuzzy socks and curled up in my bed with too many pillows to count and my three favorite stuffed animals.  Then I opened up the book to begin reading.  I didn't quit reading until I reached the back cover.  Yes, I stayed up and read it cover to cover.  It's not a terribly long book, but I just couldn't put it down.

Dolly has a bit of a unique philosophy on life, dreams, God and happiness.  In this book, she puts it all out there as her philosophy relates to dreams we have in life.  It's a great stocking stuffer and a truly inspirational read.  I highly recommend you pick it up.

The whole book is basically a deeper exploration into the hopes Dolly expressed in her 2009 commencement speech to the graduates of the University of Tennessee.  One thing I love from the speech is at the very beginning she says, "I usually try not to give advice. Information, yes.  Advice, no.  What has worked for me may not work for you."  I love this quote because I am exactly the same way.  I will give you all the information I can and I'm happy to share my experiences with anyone who'll listen.  But to give advice... no so much.

Here are a few of my other favorite quotes from the book and speech:

 "I would certainly rather wear out than rust out.  I hope that I drop dead right onstage one of these days, doing exactly what I want to do.  It might shake the audience up a little bit, but I hope everybody knows that's exactly what I want."

"Happiness is your commitment  appreciating all that is good in life, big and small."

"Learning is really all about experience, how you look at everything you do and draw lessons from what you have done.  If you learn from that and you don't make the same mistakes twice, then not only are you smart, you have what we call "horse sense."

"I make a point to appreciate all the little things in my life.  I go out and smell the air after a good, hard rain.  I reread passages from my favorite books.  I hold the little treasures that somebody special gave me.  These small actions help remind me that there are so many great, glorious pieces of good in the world."

"All my life I have walked a fine line.  I'm too bad to be good and too good to be bad.  I also walk a fine line between being gaudy and sexy.  My spirituality and my sensuality seem to be intertwined.  But I'm too cartoonish to ever be a threat to wives or girlfriends."  

Seriously y'all!  Pick it up.  It's a great "feel good" kind of book.

Dream More

Dolly Parton is someone I admire in a BIG way.  In fact, she is the only person on my bucket list that I want to meet.  (Garth Brooks used to be on that list, but I got to meet him earlier this year)  In fact, I dream about meeting Dolly fairly often.  Usually in my dreams we are just having coffee or hanging out somewhere and chatting.

I love how open she is and her adorable sense of humor.  You never hear anything mean or judgmental from her.  She really is what she is.  She is unique in a great many ways and that's what makes her wonderful.

This morning I saw a tweet from the Grand Ole Opry that she released a new book today entitled, Dream More.  A more perfect book could not have been released in my opinion.  This is going straight to the top of my reading list.  The second I can get my hands on it, you'll surely be hearing about it!